Jays First Quarter Dumps Lions (12-10-11)
Ashland-Greenwood 68, Louisville boys 54

Ashland-Greenwood outscored Louisville 23 to 10 in the first quarter in route to a 68-54 victory over the Lions.

The Bluejays connected on 8 of 12 shots from the field while dropping in all four free thorws during the eight minute stretch. Senior Tyler Gibson and Jordan Scheil, a 5’ 9” junior, scored 7 and 5 points respectively during the period on their way to tying for game honors with 22 points apiece.

But in the second quarter, the the Louisville defense buckled down and the LHS offense went on a 13-6 run in the first four minutes of the second quarter. Sam Long started the rally, scoring from point-blank range just seconds into the period, then followed that with another bucket on an assist from Tucker Anderson who then converted a steal into a lay-up. Jake Snodgrass turned an offensive rebound into a field goal, Skyler Deloske converted two free throws and Mitch Petersen dropped in a 3 pointer and the Lions had tightened the score to 29-23.

Louisville went cold the remainder of the quarter, scoring a lone Snodgrass free thow in the last 4:16 before halftime at the Jays held a 35-24 lead at the half.

In the third period, Ashland-Greenwood extended their lead to as much as 16 points after Scheil dropped in his only 3-pointer to make the score 44-28 with 4:26 in the third quarter before settling into a 15 point lead at the end of the third quarter.

The Lions never gave up, ultimately lowering the lead to a manageable nine point spread after a Deloske floater made the score 57-48 with 2:17 left in the contest. With time running out and LHS forced to foul, the Bluejays made 9 of 12 free throws to stave off home-town Lions, returning home with a 68-54 win.

“A weak defensive effort in the first quarter coupled with a lot of early turnovers cost us big,” said Louisville head coach Colin Lansman. “They jumped out to an early lead that we were battling against the entire game. We ended up playing them to within 1 pt for the remaining three quarters.”

Sam Long, Louisville’s 6’ 5” senior center, and sophomore Colt Johannsen led LHS scorers with 12 and 11 points, respectively, a career high point total for each Lion.

“I continue to be very proud of the effort and heart showed by my guys,” said Coach Lansman. “They battled to the end. We have several guys battling some illness and fatigue, but it never showed in the way they competed. I am confident that if we continue to compete with the kind of attitude we have right now, we will improve as a basketball team and find more success down the road.”

Louisville takes on Johnson County Central on Friday at the Lion gym. Varsity action is scheduled to begin at 7:30.

Colt Johannsen (52) defends against Tyler Gibson of Ashland during the second half of the Bluejay's 68-54 victory.