LONE TREE

The Lone Tree Lady Lions earned the right for an easier path in the Class 1A – Region 7 playoffs when they tied for first place and finished at 18-3. Their reward was a first round matchup against the Winfield-Mt. Union Wolves. The Lady Lions won 73-14.

But now the Lady Lions face their first true test en route to a championship banner hung from the Lone Tree rafters, the Danville Bears (17-4).

Lone Tree hosts Danville on Tuesday, Feb. 13.

Danville started their season 0-4. Since, they’re on a 17-game win streak. Lone Tree also had a long winning streak, piling up 15 straight before WACO ruined the fun.

Lone Tree now needs to play the spoiler.

Danville hosted Burlington Notre Dame in round one, winning 65-55. The teams entered halftime tied at 26 but Danville presented an offensive onslaught in the third quarter to pull away.

Danville’s three leading scorers, Jaeda Molle, Kenna Funald and Rylee Morris – all seniors – put up more than 10 points to lead the Bears to victory.

Those three leading scorers all average above 12 points per game, giving them a well-balanced offensive attack. Molle led the way with 306 points during the season.

Defense is key for Lone Tree’s success.

“Danville is very much like us,” Lady Lion head coach Ryan Shelman said. “We know we have to continue to get better. We have to make shots; we're going to have to make free throws [and] rebound. We got to play defense, defense is key this time of year, our girls do a good job of that.”

Lone Tree holds a 5-2 all-time record over Danville but their last two outings were Bear wins. The last time these two faced was in 2018, muting the competitive record and making way for the future.