HUNTSVILLE – In a game that took two nights to finish due to severe weather, Ardmore beat Columbia 18-12 Monday night.

The Tigers trailed 12-7 at halftime, but the game was postponed until Saturday night.

“This was a difficult situation for both teams,” Ardmore coach Tracy Malone said. “It was hard for both teams to get up for a game like this. This was a gut-check win for our program. Our guys really responded tonight.”

After a scoreless third quarter, Landon Curtis pulled Ardmore within two points when he made a 22-yard field goal at the beginning of the fourth quarter. The field goal capped off a 14-play drive for the Tigers.

Ardmore struck again midway through the fourth quarter when Elijah Barnes hit Curtis on a screen pass for a 22-yard touchdown. Derrick Green got in the endzone for the two-point conversion to give the Tigers an 18-12 lead.

Columbia was moving the football in its final drive, but Jeffery Boyce intercepted a Columbia pass to secure the win.

“I just wanted to get in good position to make a play on the ball,” Boyce said. “This was one of our biggest wins of the year because it puts the playoff within reach.”

Ardmore is 3-1 on the season and 2-1 in Class 4A, Region 7.

“This was a hard fought game,” Malone said. “It was really big because it puts our guys in a good position to make the playoffs. Columbia is a really good football team with a really good defense. This was big for our guys.”

In Saturday night’s first half, the weather wasn’t the only thing that started out sloppy for Ardmore. The Tigers opened the game with three consecutive penalties.

Despite the set back, Green capped off a long opening drive with a 1-yard touchdown run with 5:04 remaining in the first quarter. Landon Curtis made the extra point.

Green finished the first half with 78-yards rushing.

Josh Macklin capped off a 65-yard drive for Columbia when he scored on a 3-yard run. Columbia’s extra point attempt was no good.

Columbia took the lead in the second quarter when John McCown hit Macklin on a 60-yard touchdown pass. Columbia missed the extra point.