Lone Tree girls’ basketball pulled away down the stretch to defeat Pekin 46-34 Friday night. Despite trailing at the end of the first quarter, the Lions would be able to rally for a 20-19 lead going into halftime. A 14-9 run in the third period extended Lone Tree’s advantage, and a 12-6 run to close the game put the Panthers away.

The Lions were led by junior Cate Sexton’s double-double of 17 points and 14 rebounds, while sophomore Finley Jacque had 10 points and five assists. Sophomore Alyson Ford and junior Rylee Shield each pulled down 12 rebounds and combined for nine points and a whopping nine steals. Ford also had four blocked shots as Lone Tree improves to 5-1 in the North division of the Southeast Iowa Super Conference and 9-1 overall.

The Lion boys came up just short against Pekin in a 64-63 thriller. Despite an early 14-8 lead, Lone Tree would go into the half down by one. The Lions tied the game at 44 by the end of the third quarter, but it would be the Panthers who ultimately had the slight edge.

The loss drops Lone Tree to 2-3 in the Super Conference North and 4-4 overall. Both Lion teams play tomorrow night at WACO. Before that, the boys’ next game comes this evening at Tri-County.