STEENS — When Audrey Foreman was in ninth grade, she was part of a Columbus Christian Academy junior varsity girls basketball team that blazed through district play.
Even then, the young Rams couldn’t help but look forward to the bright future they saw before them.
“Oh yeah, senior year, we’re going to go all the way,” Foreman and her teammates told themselves. “We’re going to try for everything.”
Three years later, their bold prediction could be coming true.
This season, with Foreman living up to her last name, Columbus Christian’s varsity team has been nothing short of dominant. The Rams beat rival Hebron Christian by 25 points Friday in Steens to cap a 15-1 regular season in which CCA’s average margin of victory has been even greater: In their 13 non-forfeit wins, the Rams are outscoring their opponents by more than 27.8 points per game.
“Since it’s senior year, I wanted to have a pretty good year,” senior Cayden Harding said. “That’s what we’ve done so far.”
That could be an understatement as the Rams blew through their district schedule to close the regular season. Columbus Christian’s only loss on the year was Jan. 7 at Winona Christian School, and the Rams — led by seven seniors, including Foreman and Harding — have been scorching ever since.
“It’s just a really good group,” coach Jason Williams said. “I’m proud of them. You rarely find this many seniors at a small school like we have, and it’s just a tribute to them having a really good attitude and work ethic.”
Senior Taylor Tipton said the Rams have dedicated themselves to correcting their weaknesses, improving their strengths and learning how to play together ever since their preseason workouts started.
“I feel like all our practices and all our hard work and the hours we put in are paying off for us right now,” Tipton said.
She said Columbus Christian has focused on improving fundamentals like free throws and layups after poor execution of the same cost the Rams in a “devastating” 47-42 first-round loss to Manchester Academy in last year’s postseason.
But this season, CCA is determined not to bow out so early as the Rams prepare for next week’s MAIS Class 2A, District 2 tournament at Newton County Academy.
“We really want to finish off strong and just try to make our name known for whenever we get into the district tournament and state and all that,” senior CC DeVos said.
This season, DeVos and the Rams have stood out by taking their defense to another level. The Rams’ press forces lesser opponents into countless turnovers, and most of them turn into points in a hurry.
“We are very aggressive,” Tipton said. “We will get after that ball no matter what.”
That’s something the Rams have been proud of under Williams, who is in his second year as Columbus Christian’s head coach.
“We pride ourselves in playing hard, whether it’s on offense or defense, half court, full court,” Williams said. “That’s where we’ve seen our most success: when we just have a lot of effort and everybody’s getting after the basketball.”
Last season, with the Rams making an adjustment to Williams’ coaching style, Columbus Christian finished 15-10 — a win total they’ve already matched before their postseason even begins.
“In the past, we haven’t made it this far, done this good,” senior Emma Kate Griffin said. “For our senior year, it’s great to say that we’ve come this far.”
This year, the Rams have practiced harder both together and individually, working hard on being unselfish and distributing the ball. So far, those strategies have paid off in a big way.
“I couldn’t ask for any better of a team,” Tipton said. “I couldn’t be more proud of our team and where we’ve gotten and what we’re going to accomplish.”
Tipton said it’s “scary but exciting” what the Rams have already been able to achieve this year and what could lie ahead. Senior Emma Kate Griffin said she just hopes Columbus Christian will end up “going out with a bang” for her final year.
“I think we can go really far,” Griffin said. “You never know what the bracket’s going to look like, so hopefully the bracket works out good and we can make it to state or even overall.”
And no matter how it shakes out for the Rams in the end, they’re glad to have enjoyed the success they’ve already had.
“We just like to have fun,” senior Lily Barlow said. “Winning is a big plus.”
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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