The Lions got off to a fast start in the first game of the season, but were unable to protect a double-digit halftime lead in a 51-44 loss to Belle Plaine on Monday. 

Drew Gauley hit a pair of 3-pointers and found a cutting Ethan Bockelman for a layup during a 10-0 start.

The lead grew to 15 in the second quarter. But in the second half, the shots wouldn’t fall. 

Late in the third quarter, Ethan Willoz grabbed a loose ball and scored to answer a 16-4 run for the Plainsmen. The Lions forced a turnover and were in position to add to a 33-28 lead with five seconds left in the quarter. 

Instead, Belle Plaine stole the inbounds pass, rebounded a miss, and hit a wild 3-pointer at the buzzer to take momentum into the final quarter. 

“I still thought we were playing well on the defensive end, but I thought we got tight once the score got tight,” Lone Tree coach Tom Squiers said. “Once it got under 10, we quit doing what we were doing the first half. We quit running the floor. We got really, really tentative and turned the ball over.”

Questioning an official’s call cost the Lions in the fourth quarter as Belle Plaine made both technical free throws to take a 41-37 lead. 

Freshman Emmett Burke drew a foul on the other end and made the first. He rebounded his own miss on the second, leading to a bucket for Mitch Koedam that cut the lead to 41-40. 

But with a chance to take the lead, the Lions turned it over. And they would get no closer. 

The Plainsmen scored their final four points from the free throw line to pull away. Belle Plaine shot 18-of-33 for the game, while Lone Tree was just 3-of-7 at the line. 

“I thought our effort was on the defensive end, but the other thing is, we fouled too many times,” Squiers said. We weren't moving our feet. We put them at the line too many times and some of our key players got in foul trouble.”

Willoz and Koedam fouled out, while Burke finished the game with four fouls.

Belle Plaine sophomore Sam DeMeulenaere went 7-of-9 at the stripe to finish with a game-high 16 points. Gauley scored 10 points in the first half and led the Lions with 12. 

Tyce Alt ended a four-minute scoring drought in the first quarter with a strong post up on an inbounds play. He was fouled on the make and his free throw gave Lone Tree a 13-4 lead after one quarter. He finished with 10 points. 

Willoz scored four points during a second-quarter run that pushed the lead to 27-12. 

“I really liked our pace,” Squiers said. “I thought we pushed the ball, we hit our post kids on cuts. I really liked the pace of the game. But then all of a sudden, in the second half we didn't play at that pace.” 

Ethan Bockelman and Burke each had five points in the loss. Koedam finished with four. 

“There were a lot of new faces out there, and I get that part of it,” Squiers said. “That's one nice thing about playing a game before we play a conference game. Maybe we'll get that out of our system before we play Columbus tomorrow night.”

After a trip to Columbus on Tuesday, a busy week continues for the Lions, who host Keota and Highland on Thursday and Friday.