Lions Hoops Goes to Divisional

DAY TWO:

Day two of the tournament began for Lockwood, with the girl's team going up against Class A powerhouse Havre. Both teams came out firing, and a fast-paced first quarter ended with Havre up 15-11. The Blue Ponies began to show their strength in the second quarter, slowly pulling away to end the half up by 12.

The second half was all Havre. After a dominant 21-9 third quarter, the Ponies continued to pour it on in the fourth, ultimately securing a 64-36 victory over the outmatched Lions.

Tailey Harris had 10 points, seven boards, five assists and three steals for Lockwood in a losing effort, and Dani Jordan chipped in 10 points and six rebounds.

After waiting all day, the Lockwood boys finally got their chance to avenge their loss to Custer County as they went up against rival Hardin in a loser-out game. The teams split their two regular-season games, making this the defacto rubber match, and, in an incredibly entertaining game, the evenly matched Lions and Bulldogs went toe to toe all night.

After a close first half, Lockwood’s Tyce Casterline closed out the third quarter with a last-second steal and shot at the buzzer to extend their lead to 11. But just when it looked like the Lions would prevail, Hardin caught fire and went on a wild run to take a three-point lead. With less than a minute left in regulation, and all hope seemingly lost, Lockwood’s Tristan Appleton launched a deep three that hit nothing but net, sending the game into overtime and the Lockwood fans into a frenzy.

Unfortunately, Lockwood’s shots just wouldn’t fall in extra time, and the Bulldogs were able to pull out an 85-78 victory, ending Lockwood’s season in heartbreaking fashion.

Jaren Knows His Gun led the Lions with a game-high 24 points, Tristan Appleton pitched in 14 and Tyce Casterline had a solid all-around performance, including 14 points.

After their loss against Havre on Thursday morning, the Lockwood girls looked to keep their tournament hopes alive against Park in the final game of day two.

The Lions jumped out to a 19-12 first-quarter lead. In the second quarter, the pace of the game slowed significantly. In fact, only six points were scored in the period, and Lockwood held tight to a 21-16 halftime lead.

The slow, methodical pace continued in the third quarter, which was marked by stingy defense and very little scoring.

Although both teams reclaimed their scoring touch in the fourth quarter, Lockwood stayed in control and began to pull away. In an effort to drain the clock, the Lions took their time working through their offense, and Park was unable to overcome the defensive pressure. In the end, Lockwood earned a 41-33 victory to avoid elimination and set up a Friday showdown against Fergus.

DAY THREE: FRIDAY

As things got back underway on Friday, the Lockwood girls had high hopes of advancing to their first-ever state tournament. The only thing standing in their way was the Fergus Golden Eagles.

After an evenly matched first quarter, Fergus used a dominant 17-5 second quarter to end the half up 21-14.

Fergus extended their lead in the third and closed out the period with a 12 point lead.

Lockwood laid it all on the line in the fourth quarter but, despite one last late rally, Fergus proved to be too much for the Lions to handle, and the Golden Eagles secured a 51-40 victory to end Lockwood’s tournament run.

Once again, Tailey Harris was Lockwood’s leading scorer with 14 points and nine rebounds. Dani Jordan chipped in with ten and Delanee Casterline added eight points and seven rebounds.

CLOSING

Neither the boys nor the girls were able to advance to this year’s state tournament, but the future of Lockwood basketball is incredibly bright. As the only Eastern A school without any seniors, Lockwood will return all of its players next season. And so we offer a well-earned congratulations to this year’s teams and look forward to next year. If Lockwood has anything to say about it, 2023 will be the year of the Lion.