In the shot-clock era, it is hard to hold any team to 12 points for an entire game.
Lisbon girls’ basketball managed it against East Marshall in a Class 2A first-round game Saturday, Feb. 15, in the Lions’ Den, winning 35-12.
“I don’t think I’ve ever played in a high school basketball game that was that low scoring,” Lisbon junior Kamryn Kahl said.
The game was a bit of a rock fight early on. Lisbon led 5-4 after one quarter, and 9-6 midway through the second quarter.
“Defensively we were pretty solid all night,” Lisbon coach Jack Leighty said. “Offensively, we couldn’t throw it in the ocean.”
The first-year Lions coach said having a week without a game (Lisbon closed the regular season with a loss to Tipton on Feb. 8), hurt them a little bit.
Fortunately, their “senior” leader came through.
Kahl hit a pair of 3-pointers to help crack open the Mustangs’ defense. They led 18-6 at halftime.
“If you don’t hit your shots, you’ve got to keep shooting until they fall, and that’s what happened,” Kahl said. “Then I started to grow in confidence. And as I became more of a threat, my teammates were more open.”
Lisbon knew that East Marshall (3-20) had struggled scoring all season and came in averaging only 22.9 points per game.
But the Lions didn’t let up, using the press to keep the Mustangs from gaining any momentum.
“We knew we couldn’t underestimate them,” Kahl said. “We showed some resilience in the second half.”
Kahl hit another two 3-pointers in the third quarter (she finished with a game-high 15 points) and the Lions led 26-9 going into the final quarter.
It was the first regional win for Lisbon since 2021, and just the second in the previous dozen years.
“It is big for us,” Leighty said. “I’ve never coached a team without seniors. We have everybody coming back next year. This is just a stepping stone.
“And we get to play Tuesday. You never know what may happen.”
Lisbon faced a significant upgrade in opposition, and a long road trip, playing at Jesup (17-4) on Tuesday, Feb. 18. For reference, the J-Hawks just beat the Mustangs 57-19 on Jan. 31.
“This win is great for the Lisbon basketball program,” Kahl said. “Hopefully, there’s more to come.”