LITTLETON — The Columbine girls basketball team may not have looked like a postseason contender early in the season. But the Rebels look like a different team lately.

They’ve been surging through the second half of their Jeffco League schedule. Tuesday night’s impressive 49-40 victory over Jeffco League rival Chatfield gave the Rebels seven straight victories.

The point total for the victorious Rebels may not be startling, but Columbine’s defense effort definitely was. Consider that the first time the teams met this season, Chatfield scored 70 points in a victory over the Rebels. Tuesday Columbine (16-4 overall, 8-2 league) held the Charger to 30 fewer points and regained the lead in the league title chase.

"We knew we could play better defense," Columbine coach Jim Bartok said. "We also didn’t have Olivia Leyshock last time, and even though she didn’t score a lot of points (Tuesday night)), just having her for the rotation when we got in foul trouble gave us three pretty good forces inside and Chatfield had two. It was a battle of attrition (Tuesday)."

The physical tone was set right away, when the referee stopped the game in the first minute to call double fouls on Chatfield and Columbine players. Leyshock, a 6-0 sophomore, gave the Rebels an extra body inside, but she also was 5-for-5 on her free-throw shooting, which highlighted another glaring difference in the game. Chatfield (11-9, 8-2) hit only eight of 21 free throws.

Chatfield coach Mike Deutsch said Columbine’s trapping defense took his team out of its rhythm on offense.

"They were getting pretty aggressive with the trap on our guards," he said. "We just stood around a lot instead of responding to what they were doing. We didn’t do a good job at the free thrown line either."

Still, Columbine couldn’t put Chatfield away. The Rebels went up by 10 points in the second period, only to see the Chargers close out the period with an 11-3 run to trail only 24-22 at halftime. Columbine again took the momentum in the third with a 10-0 run, but Chatfield rallied with their own 8-0 scoring streak to stay around going into the fourth quarter. In the fourth, Chatfield’s Danae Morton hit a three pointer that trimmed the Rebels lead to 43-40 with a minute, 34 seconds remaining, but Columbine guard Demitra Apergis answered immediately with her own three to put the Rebels back up by six points. Even the restless crowd, which was filling in quickly for the boys game later in the evening, recognized the importance of Apergis’ shot.

"We heard the crowd, and everybody knew we were ahead by six again," Apergis said. "We were saying to each other ‘Let’s finish it. Let’s get it done.’"

Apergis finished with 15 points to lead the Rebels, while Kate Kurtenbach led the Chargers with 10. Chelsea O’Brien, who scored 20 points against the Rebels in the earlier game, was held to just two points on Tuesday.

The Rebels will need to keep their winning streak alive against remaining league rivals Bear Creek, Green Mountain and Dakota Ridge to win the Jeffco title.

"I’m proud of them," Bartok said. "Every game has been a playoff game. We can’t lose any to have a chance at the league championship.”

Chatfield... 8 14 9 9 – 40

Columbine... 11 13 11 14 – 49

Chat – Chrissy Armstrong 0 4-8 4, Kate Kurtenbach 3 3-4 10, Danae Morton 2 1-3 6, Chelsea O’Brien 1 0-4 2, Dilan Sutliff 2 0-2 5, Emily Kotulak 1 0-0 2, Kristina Kules 3 0-0 9, Natalie Smart 1 0-0 2. Totals 13 8-21 40.

Col – Demitra Apergis 6 0-0 15, Heather Van Halen 2 0-0 4, Alyssa Maccan 2 3-4 8, Amiee Thomas 1 0-1 2, Randee Hayes 4 2-5 10, Olivia Leyshock 0 5-5 5, Noelle Hoelsken 0 3-4 3, Rachel Hudspeth 1 0-0 2. Totals 16 13-19 49.

Three-point goals – Chat, Kules 3, Kurtenbach, Morton; Col, Apergis 3, Maccan. Fouled out – Thomas.