The Lisbon Lions girls basketball squad left it all on the court last week.
Now 6-6, the team opened their return from break with a road win over the Midland Eagles before facing tough competition in two additional road games.
Lions head coach Diamond Ruth indicated progress shows itself in many forms.
“Our kids have been making teams work for every point by following the game plan, and it is paying off for them, whether the score shows it or not. I have a feeling that these kids are going to surprise a lot of people come post season,” she said.
“This road week was a tough one, and we took that as a challenge. They challenged Regina more than everyone thought they would,” said Ruth.
“It’s been fun for us, and we’ve been able to step up to challenges that in years past we weren’t able to do in a competitive way. We’re looking forward to the second half of the season,” Coach Ruth said.
Tuesday, Jan. 3The Lions jumped out to an early 15-4 halftime lead before the Eagles started to fight back in the second half to claw their way within five points, but it wasn’t enough. Lisbon beat the Eagles 40-35 in their first game back from break.
Addy Happel led the visiting Lions in scoring with 12 points, adding an assist along the way.
Kali Nelson chipped in nine points and four assists.
Peyton Robinson scored seven points. The trio of Robinson, Chloe Clausen, and Kamryn Kahl each had six rebounds in the game. Robinson additionally had five assists.
Thursday, Jan. 5 Seventh-ranked Regina Catholic defeated the Lions on the Regals’ home court 60-25.
Lisbon entered some players from the bench during the final two quarters, a gesture the Regals did not match.
Coach Ruth found the good in it.
“It provided a challenge for our bench kids on the varsity court to get solid reps against a varsity team, and that will pay off long term for us. There’s only one way to get better, and that’s by playing good competition,” she said.
Friday, Jan. 6A tight game at Maquoketa Valley ended with the Wildcats eventually pulling away with a 39-29 win.
“We played an aggressive Maquoketa Valley, and played with them until the very end,” said Coach Ruth.
“Down by three with four or so minutes left, we needed to foul, and MV hit all of their free throws down the line, and it was great for them.
“It doesn’t take away from how hard the kids worked to shut their posts down, and how much they challenged their guards to have to work hard for every point,” she said.
Robinson led the Lions with nine points and a whopping 12 rebounds to go along with four steals and four assists.
Clausen contributed seven points, six rebounds, and a steal to the effort.
Tuesday, Jan. 3
Lisbon vs. Midland
LIS 8 7 13 12 40
MID 2 2 18 13 35
Lisbon
Points | Addy Happel, JR PTS 12 FG 4/7 3PT 4/6
Points | Kali Nelson, SR PTS 9 FG 3/13 3PT 1/9 FT 2/3
Points | Peyton Robinson, SR PTS 7 FG 2/11 FT 3/4
Rebounds | Peyton Robinson, SR RBD 6 OFF 4 STL 3
Rebounds | Chloe Clausen, JR RBD 6 OFF 2
Rebounds | Kamryn Kahl, FR RBD 6 OFF 1
Assists | Peyton Robinson, SR AST 5 TO 7 A/TO 0.7
Assists | Kali Nelson, SR AST 4 TO 3 A/TO 1.3
Assists | Addy Happel, JR AST 1 TO 7 A/TO 0.1
Midland
Points | Anna Bartels, JR PTS 14 FG 5/16 FT 4/5
Points | Emmaleigh Soper, JR PTS 7 FG 3/10 FT 1/2
Points | Ainzlee (AJ) Soper, FR PTS 6 FG 2/11 3PT 2/10
Rebounds | Anna Bartels, JR RBD 11 OFF 10 STL 3
Rebounds | Emmaleigh Soper, JR RBD 10 OFF 6
Rebounds | Gracie Franzen, SR RBD 5 OFF 2
Assists | Gracie Franzen, SR AST 2 TO 4 A/TO 0.5
Assists | Amaya Terrell, SR AST 2 TO 3 A/TO 0.7
Assists | Anna Bartels, JR AST 1 TO 2 A/TO 0.5
Thursday, Jan. 5
Lisbon vs. Regina Catholic
LIS 11 3 6 5 25
RC 15 10 16 19 60
Lisbon
Points | Kali Nelson, SR PTS 9 FG 3/14 3PT 1/7 FT 2/2
Points | Peyton Robinson, SR PTS 6 FG 2/6 3PT 1/1 FT 1/4
Points | Addy Happel, JR PTS 3 FG 1/5 FT 1/2
Rebounds | Peyton Robinson, SR RBD 8 OFF 2 STL 2
Rebounds | Ella Clark, SR RBD 4 OFF 2
Rebounds | Kali Nelson, SR RBD 4
Assists | Peyton Robinson, SR AST 2 TO 7 A/TO 0.3
Assists | Addy Happel, JR AST 2 TO 7 A/TO 0.3
Assists | Addie Clark, SO AST 1 TO 3 A/TO 0.3
Regina Catholic
Points | Morgan Miller, SO PTS 23 FG 9/25 3PT 3/14 FT 2/3
Points | Grace Gaarde, SR PTS 12 FG 5/12 3PT 2/6
Points | Ella McLaughlin, SO PTS 8 FG 4/8
Rebounds | Morgan Miller, SO RBD 9 OFF 2 STL 4
Rebounds | Ella McLaughlin, SO RBD 8 OFF 6 STL 2
Rebounds | Grace Gaarde, SR RBD 7 OFF 4 STL 2
Assists | Alli Clark, JR AST 4 TO 1 A/TO 4.0
Assists | Grace Gaarde, SR AST 3 TO 3 A/TO 1.0
Assists | Morgan Squiers, JR AST 3 TO 1 A/TO 3.0
Friday, Jan. 6
Maquoketa Valley vs. Lisbon
MV 2 10 9 18 39
LIS 5 9 5 10 29
Points | Peyton Robinson, SR PTS 9 FG 2/9 FT 5/6
Points | Chloe Clausen, JR PTS 7 FG 3/7 FT 1/3
Points | Kali Nelson, SR PTS 6 FG 2/12 3PT 2/10
Rebounds | Peyton Robinson, SR RBD 12 OFF 4 STL 4
Rebounds | Chloe Clausen, JR RBD 6 STL 1
Rebounds | Addy Happel, JR RBD 4 OFF 1 STL 1
Assists | Peyton Robinson, SR AST 4 TO 6 A/TO 0.7
Assists | Kali Nelson, SR AST 2 TO 2 A/TO 1.0
Assists | Addy Happel, JR AST 2 TO 8 A/TO 0.3