A pair of local teams were able to survive and advance in the high school girls’ basketball playoffs last night. The Columbus Wildcats defeated West Burlington 45-39 in the Class 2A Region 6 quarterfinals, while the Sigourney Savages punched their ticket to the Class 1A Region 3 semifinals by knocking off Melcher-Dallas 60-42.

Columbus jumped out to a 23-6 lead at home against West Burlington, and while the Falcons nearly climbed all the way back from that first-quarter deficit, the Wildcats would be able to hold on down the stretch.

Point guard Ariana Vergara led Columbus with 18 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and four steals. Fellow junior Aracely Garza also had a double-double of 10 points and 13 rebounds as the Wildcats improve to 15-6 and set up a date Friday with North Mahaska in the 2A Region 6 semis.

Meanwhile, Sigourney started strong at Melcher-Dallas with a 19-6 lead in the first period, then used a 23-6 run going into halftime to go up by 30 points. From there, the Savages cruised to their 13th straight win and raised their record to 19-4. Sigourney will take on Martensdale-St Marys in the regional semifinals Friday.