The Columbus gym will house an additional shade of blue tonight, as the Wildcats welcome WACO for a boy/girl basketball doubleheader in the KCII Area Game of the Week.

Columbus girls basketball enters the contest 4-1, atop the Southeast Iowa Superconference North. The Wildcats preserved their perfect conference record Tuesday, beating Pekin 49-35. A 24-point third quarter propelled Columbus past the Panthers, as juniors Ariana Vergara and Lily Coil combined for 31 points in the win. With no seniors on the roster, Madeleine Howell, Frannie Sosa, and Aracely Garza round out a strong junior class for the Wildcats. Together, they’ve helped lead the team to four wins already, a total that Columbus had achieved just twice since 2017. The Wildcats average 48 points per game and allow just over 37, to go with more than 39 rebounds, 12 assists, and 15 steals per contest.

Tonight they matchup with a conference rival in WACO, riding its own two-game winning streak after losing the first two. The Warriors cruised past WMU 47-29 earlier this week behind double-digit scoring from seniors Emma Wagler, Marie Farmer, and Naomi Egli. Four seniors head the WACO team, along with freshman Brenna Graber who has emerged as the second-highest scorer through four games. Scoring and allowing about 45 points per game, the Warriors average over 21 rebounds, 8 assists, and 7 steals a night. The WACO girls have taken the last four meetings, including 60-41 and 55-38 wins last year.

The boys hit the floor in game two, with Columbus still seeking to notch one in the win column. Tim Hills-Carrier, the team’s lone senior has embraced this leadership role, pacing the team in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks. Freshman Ellis Hills-Carrier has proven to be a skilled shooter for the Wildcats, knocking down 52 percent of his shots, including half of his three-pointers. While Columbus is averaging more than 50 points per game, they look to build up a defense that has allowed more than 70 per contest in the early goings.

A 1-2 start to the WACO season has the boys looking to get back to .500 Friday night. After getting their first win over Wapello last week, the Warriors fell to WMU Tuesday. A strong defensive performance held the Wolves to their lowest offensive output this season, but the Warriors couldn’t get much going offensively, shooting just 22 percent from the floor. Much like its girls team, WACO has relied on its upper-classmen, with seniors Hunter Hughes, Colton Leichty, Reece Oswald, and Chase Waterhouse, along with juniors Isaac Rich and Clayton Miller all in double figures. The Warriors score just over 47 points per game and give up 45. WACO has owned the series over Columbus, winning 18 straight dating back to 2010.

You can listen to the Wildcats and Warriors in this conference showdown on the KCII3 Stream. The Area Game of the Week pregame show kicks things off tonight at 5:30 p.m. WACO and Columbus girls tip at 6, followed by the boys on the one to count on for today’s local sports coverage KCII.