When the Lisbon boys’ basketball team is trying to start their engine on cold, winter nights, it helps to have a new battery under the hood.

Freshman Tyler Kubovec had 26 points and helped lead the Lions past Midland 55-45 on Friday, Dec. 19, in Wyoming.

“He’s been a consistent scorer for us,” Lisbon coach Levi Montague said. “He gets us into our offense. He’s learning on the go at the varsity level, but he’s picking things up pretty quickly.”

Kubovec scored all of Lisbon’s points (nine) in the first quarter.

“I had to get the energy going,” Kubovec said. “So I got some points up there and just played some defense.”

Lisbon (3-5, 2-2 Tri-Rivers East) had a few starters sitting out with injury and illness, but knew they could count on their freshman.

“He’s tough,” Montague said of Kubovec. “Games we’re trailing 20 to 25 points, and he’s still diving on the floor for loose balls.

“He sets the tone for us, offensively.”

Lisbon held a tenuous 25-22 advantage at halftime.

Midland had it down to one point, 36-35, after a 3-pointer from Xander Eldred, but never took the lead.

“They started making some 3s, and we had to change some defensive opportunities,” Kubovec said. “We got some rebounds, and just played tougher.”

Lisbon opened the fourth quarter with a pair of foul shots by Kobovec, an end-to-end layup by Carew Kamaus, and then a driving layup by Ian Whittenbaugh. That gave them a 10-point lead, 45-35.

“Our defensive intensity changed,” Montague said. “We finally started to get a few more stops.”

Kubovec had 13 rebounds to go with his 26 points. Junior Griffin Barber grabbed 12 rebounds in his first start. Kamaus finished with 10 points and Whittenbaugh had eight.

“We’ve been plugging different guys in,” Montague said. “Guys have been selfless. One game they may play 18 minutes, and the next game, four minutes. But it really hasn’t affected the mood of the team.”

The win over Midland ended a week that saw the Lions lose to Bellevue Marquette (89-42) on Tuesday, Dec. 16, and drop a non-conference game against Alburnett (76-43) on Thursday, Dec. 18.

Kubovec had 18 points and Kamaus added 12 against the defending state runner-up. Kubovec had 17 points and Whittenbaugh added 11 against the Pirates.

A game against Easton Valley, postponed from Dec. 9, to Monday, Dec. 22, was moved a second time, to Jan. 12.

“It was great getting a win to go into 2026,” Montague said. “It had been a tough week with Marquette and Alburnett.”