The Lisbon varsity girls basketball team wrapped their season on the road last Thursday, dropping an overtime decision 54-52 to the hosting Highland Huskies in the first round of Class 1A regional play.
“On Thursday we followed our game plan,” said Lions head coach Diamond Boyd. “Although in the end, we let it get away from us, the girls really showed everyone in that gym what they had been working towards this season.”
Lisbon started the game strong, winning the first period 17-8. The Lions retained the lead until around the midpoint of the fourth quarter, when the Huskies slowly crept up on them.
“Highland had a few talented players that battled all game,” Boyd credited the team’s opponent.
The Lions had some of their own, including junior Kali Nelson, who scored 34 of her team’s points, along with eight rebounds. Nelson also went 7-10 from behind the arc.
The two teams were locked at 49 points at the end of regulation, and Boyd said a couple of turnovers for the Lions “allowed the game to slip right through our fingers.”
In the additional, shortened, quarter, the Huskies scored five points, while the Lions could muster just three.
“We shot well, we moved the ball well, we shut down their posts well, we contained their shooters well, we had everyone on the court contribute in meaningful ways that made a big impact,” Boyd said.
“I don’t think that Highland really understood that, even though our record didn’t show our talent, that we have a lot of it. So they came out unprepared to begin with. We gave up a few baskets at the end, and that type of situation just comes with a little more experience and comfort,” said Boyd.
Mia Pedersen is the sole senior the team will lose, but with six rebounds, three assists, and a steal, she was an asset to the Lions until the end.
“If we are going to lose, we want it to be a battle that is lost with all of the dignity and respect in the world,” Boyd said. “And that is how we went out on Thursday, not easily, swinging, and with big hearts that never gave up on one another.”