In a game that could have went either direction, things tilted the way of the Keota Eagle boys last night, as they took down the Lone Tree Lions on their home court by a final of 60-55.

The home Lions caught fire early, as they led 11-2 midway through the first frame en route to a 19-11 lead by the end of the first eight minutes. However, Keota clawed their way back off of a 18-9 run in the second to lead by one at the half. While the Lions would respond to the deficit to retake the lead in the third, they would see themselves down 42-38 by the end of the quarter. The fourth quarter went back-and-forth. While Lone Tree saw a glimmer of hope late with a clutch Emmett Burke three to pull within a possession inside a minute remaining, they could not get a stop defensively, leading to the close loss.

Unofficially, Keota won the contest after committing six more turnovers than the Lions. The Eagles finished with a massive rebounding advantage at 41-16, though, which was key to their victory. Senior Billie Kindred led the victorious Eagles with 21, followed by 15 from Chase Haifley and 11 from Jace Chalupa. Lone Tree saw impressive nights from juniors Burke and Reece Holbrook, who together accounted for 33 of their points. Burke led with 18.

Keota Head Coach Dan Stout joined the postgame show to talk about the keys to his team’s narrow victory. “We hit some timely shots down the stretch. Our guys kept battling all night long. It was a physical ball game. We’ve got some very passionate kids on our team, and they didn’t want to come over here and get beat. Jackson Vittetoe hit a big three down the stretch that was really a big shot,” Stout said.

With the win, Keota moves to 3-0 on the season, while the loss drops Lone Tree to 1-1 through two contests. The Area Game of the Week is back for more in the Lion Den tonight for a doubleheader between the Winfield-Mt. Union Wolves and the home Lions.