History was made by the Lisbon girls’ basketball team on Monday, Feb. 9, when they beat North Cedar 65-39 inside the Lions’ Den, they clinched a share of the Tri-Rivers East title.
The first conference title since 1990.
“It was special for our kids,” Lisbon Coach Jack Leighty said. “And to do it on Senior Night, to boot.”
Kamryn Kahl had a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds, and Morgan Sauser also scored 20 points in the win. Kyla Kahl had 10 points and Ava Ahrendsen had 11 rebounds.
Lisbon finished 11-1 in the Tri-Rivers East, tied with Bellevue Marquette.
“It just shows the growth we’ve had in just two years,” Leighty said. “How far we’ve come. It is pretty impressive.
“It means something when you do it for the first time, or when people aren’t used to it happening.”
Then Lisbon opened Class 2A regional play Saturday, Feb. 14, with a 61-50 win over Northeast inside the Lions’ Den.
The Lions trailed 44-42 after three quarters, but won the final eight minutes, 19-6.
“We new it was going to be a dogfight,” Leighty said. “The kids never stopped playing and kept grinding like we always do.”
Sophomore point guard Kyla Kahl had a big night, scoring 21 points.
“She came up big,” Leighty said. “Good point guards score when the team needs them to score, and she came up with big buckets.”
Next up for Lisbon (14-8), a trip Tuesday, Feb. 17, to No. 14 Maquoketa Valley, a team the Lions lost to 66-38 back on Jan. 9.
“We played some good minutes against them last time,” Leighty said. “But they are a state-ranked team and we’re playing on the road. It won’t be easy, but we’ve got a shot.”