The Lyons girls and boys basketball teams hosted a doubleheader with Twin Peaks Charter School for senior night on Tuesday. The girls were up first, and treated another good-sized home crowd to a 46-21 win. Regular starters for the Lions, Alora Cross and Hannah Paton, welcomed fellow senior Estella Percarpio to the starting lineup. The three have all been in the program for all four years, contributing to winning seasons at every level.
The starters worked throughout the first quarter to shake off some early nerves, trailing 7-5 at the end of the period. The second quarter–and the rest of the contest–would belong to the Lions. Junior Avery Joy (15 points, 7 rebounds) got the Lions going with a pair of three pointers. Point guard and fellow junior Jazmyn Enny (10 points) added a three of her own to go along with several assists. Enny’s assists kept the ball in the hands of the seniors, setting them up for crowd-pleasing moments throughout the contest.
The Lions’ win puts them at 7-9 on the season and 4-5 in league play, with three winnable games on the horizon. This weekend’s league-deciding matchups are with Dayspring Christian on Friday and Union Colony on Saturday. Coach Marcus Richardson said, “The girls’ focus tonight was to send the seniors out the right way and on a positive note. Tonight was all about them. We will miss their contributions next year, but we feel like we have a lot of basketball left with them this season.”
On senior night, the Lyons boys basketball team rolled their way to a big-time win versus Twin Peaks, 62-26. The win places Lyons at 6-9 overall and 4-4 in their league, with four games left to play.
Working with a small group of varsity players, Coach Jahmiel McLawrence’s pool shrank by one more this week with the loss of senior guard Isaac Roberts. After last week’s contest, Roberts knew something was wrong with the ring finger on his left hand. It turns out the finger is broken, effectively ending his season for the Lions. This setback would not keep Roberts from seeing the floor on senior night, however. Following a quick pre-game discussion with the Twin Peaks head coach and the officials, Roberts was allowed to suit up and start the game along with his fellow seniors, Harrison Abernathy and Cormac Osborne.
Lyons was in control of this game from the start. The boys jumped out to a 22-8 lead, led by the inside play of sophomore Gage Basey. Owning the inside all night, Basey was a nightmare for the Timberwolves. Every time a fellow Lion missed a shot, Basey was there to clean it up. Many of his put-backs included contact that sent the sophomore to the free throw line, where he converted nine of 11 attempts. On what was supposed to be the seniors’ night, Basey nearly stole the show, with 29 points and 12 rebounds.
It was Osborne who would have the big moment of the evening. The senior was playing in his first varsity game, and had the honor of starting on the floor for the opening tip. Despite several chances to score, and the urging of the crowd to feed him the ball, it would take 30 minutes before the final payoff. With just about a minute remaining, the ball found Osborne inside for a short jumper. The senior connected, and the gym went wild. Shortly after the big basket, McLawrence substituted the senior out to a standing ovation.
The Lyons boys will travel to Greeley with the girls for a pair of games versus Dayspring on Friday and Union Colony on Saturday before concluding their season with a pair of home games next week.