LONE TREE

Lone Tree was already up six points early in its boys basketball game last Saturday (Dec. 9) against English Valleys when Lions sophomore Emmett Burke stole the ball and waltzed in for an easy lay-up.

Make that 8-0, less than three minutes in.

A 3-pointer, followed by another steal and lay-in, made it 13-0.

That’s exactly how the coaches drew it up for a game that the Lions eventually won, 64-28.

“You have to walk on the court knowing that that’s what you want to do,” Lions first-year head coach Joel Herman said. “That’s what I’m trying to get these boys to do.”

Burke scored a team-high 14 points as the Lions won by more than 30 for the second time this season.

For the first time in four seasons, Lone Tree has won four of its first six games to begin the season.

“It’s a learning process, a growth process,” Herman said. “I’m happy with them right now.”

After taking a 13-0 lead Saturday, the Lions scored 27 points in the opening quarter to grab a 17-point lead. Game over.

“Tonight’s defensive goal was to put pressure on ball, force turnovers, trap, impose our will versus letting their team impose on us,” Herman said.

Senior center Pietro Setti, a foreign-exchange student, scored 11 points for the Lions, and sophomores Domonic Garcia and Reece Holbrook each scored 8.

Lone Tree 55,

Cedar Valley Christian 39

The Lions also started quickly in its nonconference win over Cedar Valley Christian on Dec. 7.

Lone Tree scored the game’s first five points and went ahead 9-3 when senior center Pietro Setti scored on a thundering slam dunk that produced a technical foul because he hung on the rim with both hands.

Setti scored 8 points. Emmett Burke led the Lions with a game-high 17 points and 5 steals, and Domonic Garcia scored 16 and had 4 steals.

Lone Tree led by six points, 18-12, in the first quarter, but pulled ahead 31-19 by halftime.

Max McDill, a freshman, led Cedar Valley (1-4) with 12 points.

Lone Tree senior Ethan Bockelman pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds and scored 8 points.

GAME STATS

LONE TREE 64, ENGLISH VALLEYS 28

English Valleys  10   5   8    5  -- 28

Lone Tree          27   5  17  15  -- 64

Lone Tree scoring: Emmett Burke 14, Cade Willoz 11, Reece Holbrook 8, Domonic Garcia 8, Jack Patterson 7, Ethan Bockelman 6, Owen Eden 5, Jader Sanchez 3, Pietro Setti 2.

LONE TREE 55, CEDAR VALLEY CHRISTIAN 39

CV Christian  12   7   8    12  -- 39

Lone Tree      18  13  12  12  -- 55

Cedar Valley scoring: Max McDill 12, Chauncey Zhorne 9, Caleb Krueger 7, A.J. Pospisil 5, Jaden Amisi 4, Landon Conn 2.

Lone Tree scoring: Emmett Burke 17, Domonic Garcia 16, Ethan Bockelman 8, Pietro Setti 8, Jack Patterson 5, Cade Willoz 1.