Basketball Game Preview: Lyons Lions vs. Liberty Common Eagles

Lyons is 0-4 against Liberty Common since February of 2015 but things could change on Thursday. The Lyons Lions will head out on the road to face off against the Liberty Common Eagles at 6:00 p.m. Lyons is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last five games.

While Lyons didn't have the best season last year (they finished 10-13), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They strolled past Front Range Baptist with points to spare on Tuesday, taking the game 35-19. Given the Lions' advantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 135th, while the Falcons are ranked 316th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Lyons' success was spearheaded by the efforts of Luci Santesteban, who went 7 of 15 on her way to 16 points along with five rebounds and three steals, and Ava Vasquez, who posted seven points and 20 boards. Santesteban has been hot, having posted three or more steals the last six times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Leora Hagan, who scored six points and five steals.

Lyons smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 22 offensive boards. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their offensive board total in three consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, Liberty Common was beaten by Highland 47-19 on Tuesday. The Eagles have struggled against the Huskies recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive lost matchup.

Lyons' victory was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 7-1. The wins came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 25.0 points per game. As for Liberty Common, they now have a losing record at 4-5.

Lyons came up short against Liberty Common in their previous matchup back in November of 2017, falling 31-21. Can Lyons avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.