Waterloo’s Alyssa Busche goes up for a shot against Gibault on Monday. For more photos from this game, click here. (Alan Dooley photo)

The 19th annual Candy Cane Classic girls basketball tournament got underway at Gibault Catholic High School in Waterloo on Monday evening, with two lopsided games involving three local teams.

Columbia jumped on Wood River early and often in the opening game of this year’s tourney, ripping off a 19-0 start in the first quarter.  The Eagles took a 44-9 lead into the locker room at halftime and never looked back in a 74-22 drubbing.

Courtney Weilbacher scored 13 points to lead Columbia; Claire Foster added 12 and Cheyanne Newland scored 11 points, respectively.

Next up for the Eagles is a Wednesday night showdown with county foe Waterloo, who took down cross-town rival Gibault in Monday’s nightcap, 51-29. The Bulldogs used a 20-5 run in the third quarter to pull away from the Hawks.

Taylor Augustine scored 12 points to lead Waterloo. Kathryn Finnerty added 11 points, 17 rebounds and four blocks. Catherine Deterding led the Hawks in scoring with 11 points.

Columbia edged Waterloo in last year’s championship game of the classic, but the Bulldogs saved the best for last in a thrilling overtime victory over the Eagles in the regional semifinal.

Wednesday’s contest tips off at 6 p.m. Check back here for a recap. The winner of this game will play in Saturday’s tourney championship game, which starts at 1:30 p.m.

For photos from Monday’s game, visit our online Media Store by clicking here.