Lions off to 3-1 Start
by Erik Shupe
January 05, 2010
The Minneapolis boys basketball team is off to a good start this season having posted a 3-1 record. The Lions began the season after the snow storm had subsided by hosting a very good Halstead basketball team. The Dragons had a bevy of quick talented guards that they used to create a frenetic pace. The Lions started out well, matching the Dragons 13-13 after one. But the Dragons were the sharper team as they used free throws and some excellent 3 point shooting to take a 30-20 half time lead. The Lions struggled offensively all night to get things going as Halstead continued to execute on both ends of the floor. In the end Halstead came away with a 57-40 victory over the Lions.
The next night featured cross county rival Bennington. The Bulldogs came out in tough 1-3-1 zone. The Lions caught fire early and used very aggressive man to man defense to jump out to a commanding 18-4 lead. The second quarter saw the Lions begin to cool off and the Bulldogs heat up from the free throw line as they hit 7 of 8 free throws in the quarter for 29-15 score. The third quarter saw the roles reversed as Bennington became the aggressor and the Lions became passive. The Bulldogs continued to whittle away at the Minneapolis lead closing the gap to 36-26 at the end of the third quarter. The fourth quarter saw the Bulldogs mount a furious comeback behind some timely 3 point shooting, but it was too little too late as the Lions held on for a 44-41 victory.
The Lions started league play with two undefeated state ranked opponents the following week. First up the Lions traveled to Ellsworth to take on a very big and talented Ellsworth team. The Bearcats started a line up that featured players topping out at 6’6, 6’5, and 6’5, but the Lions were up to the challenge. Minneapolis came out and established themselves defensively taking the Bearcat post players out of the game early. The Lions started the second half with a precarious 26-23 lead but used a 9-2 run right out of the gates to stretch the margin to 35-25. The offense faltered, but the defense held and the Lions took a 41-34 lead into the fourth. The fourth saw the Lions make another run as they jumped out to 45-34 lead only to see the offense stall again and the Bearcats close the gap to 45-40. However, the Lions defense and rebounding held fast as the Lions were able to come out with a 51-44 victory.
Next up for the Lions was league rival Sacred Heart. The Knights came in undefeated and not having lost a December game in four years. This night would be different though as the Lions game out with a determined defensive effort from the start. The Knights also featured very talented big men, but like Ellsworth they found the going tough inside all night. Minneapolis jumped out to a 13-8 first quarter lead and stretched it to 21-8 early in the second, but Sacred Heart fought back forcing the Lions to fight it out in the half court. At half the lead had been cut to 21-16 and the momentum favored the Knights. The third quarter saw the Knights cut the lead to 21-19, but Minneapolis responded with a 11-3 run to close the quarter as the defense again came up big. The Knights fought hard but the Minneapolis defense, and free throw shooting down the stretch, were too much to overcome as the Lions came a way with their second league win 50-35.
The Lions will close out the 2009 year with a make up game at home against the Solomon Gorillas on Tuesday. The junior varsity team will play at 6:00 at MGS and the varsity game will be 7:30 at MHS. There will be no C-team game.
