The Lisbon Lions charted their fourth and fifth consecutive victories last week, brushing off challenges from the HLV Warrior and Cedar Valley Christian Huskies to put some distance between third place in the Tri-River East conference, and second, where they sit currently, slowly gaining on first place Easton Valley.
Monday, Dec. 20Monday night was undoubtedly the more poignant night of the two for the Lions.
Junior varsity basketball coach, and varsity assistant coach Nick Blomme, a fourth grade teacher for Lisbon Community Schools, and his wife, Morgan, were showered with love throughout the night, a powerful show of support from not just Lisbon, but Blomme’s alma mater, visiting team HLV.
Morgan, a fourth grade teacher in the Cedar Rapids school system, was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 30 weeks pregnant with the couple’s daughter, Brodie.
The school held raising games and a silent auction, while volunteers sold treats to raise money for the “Blomme Squad,” as the family was affectionately called.
“Monday was a special moment, ranking at the top of my basketball career,” said Lions head coach and friend Brandon Horman.
“To see two communities come together, celebrate the Blomme Family, and show our love and support…that is the power of what high school sports can do for communities and our own. There is so much more in terms of the wins and losses in sports, and this moment proved that to be true to its fullest extent,” Horman said.
The Lions rose to the event before a nearly full home crowd, defeating the Warriors 70-35.
Senior Tyson Scott shot lights-out on the night, scoring 19 points on a 9/12 performance from the field. Scott also nabbed 11 rebounds and three steals.
Fellow senior Kole Becker posted 12 points, seven rebounds, four assists, three steals, and two blocks in the effort.
The Lions improved to 6-2 after their win, with the HLV Warriors dropping to 0-8.
Tuesday, Dec. 21 The Lions hosted the Cedar Valley Christian Huskies the following evening, in a 52-49 nail-biter
The Huskies came out on top at the close of the first period, with a slim 16-15 edge.
Lisbon turned the tables in the second quarter, outscoring the visitors 13-7 and taking a slight 28-23 lead into halftime.
The second half came down to the wire, with the two teams trading leads and fouls.
“Cedar Valley Christian played a tough-nosed game, and they really competed,” said Coach Horman.
“They are much improved from a year ago, with a healthy roster and a new senior addition this year that gives them three scoring threats,” he said.
The coach credited Carter Hall, Tyler Scott, and Cohen Kamaus, whom he said “brought some energy off the bench at key moments,” in addition to Gavin Wollum, a senior Horman described as “a glue guy for us who just finds ways to impact the game.”
“We’re happy to head into break at 7-2; 3-0 in the conference, and looking forward to competing in the conference race after break. This is the best start before Christmas a team has had in the last 10 years, so these boys are doing something that Lisbon hasn’t seen for a while,” Horman said.
The Lions improved to 7-2 with the win, while the Huskies dropped to 4-6.

Gallery • 1 Photos

Trent Bowman

Lisbon’s Kaeden Harrer (No. 10) advances the ball down the court in play early last week.