Central Lyon will end its season in what has become a familiar spot for the Lions. They’re going back to the state championship game.
Aubrey Metzger dominated around the basket and Central Lyon ended Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont’s unbeaten season with a 63-49 victory in a Class 2A semifinal that started Day 5 of the state tournament.
Central Lyon (22-4) grabbed the lead early and kept it the rest of the way in advancing to the title game for the third time in four years. The Lions lost in the finals in 2022 and 2023 and won the Class 1A championship in 2013.
Top-seeded EBF came in with 25 straight victories after getting its very first state tournament victory in the opening round. But the Rockets had no answer for Metzger, a 6-foot-2 senior who scored 22 points and grabbed 16 rebounds. And that wasn’t all. She also blocked six shots, handed out three assists and made a steal.
Metzger hit 8 of 12 shots, most of them on putbacks. Nine of her rebounds came on the offensive end, helping the fifth-seeded Lions to a 20-8 edge in second-chance points. Metzger also had big game the Lions’ first-round victory over North Mahaska, collecting 18 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks.
Danika Hoogendoorn added 12 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals for the Lions. Shyanne Struckman scored 11 points and Georgie Oedekoven contributed seven points, six rebounds and two steals.
Central Lyon finished with a 35-25 rebounding edge and a 32-18 advantage in points in the paint.
Molly Shafer, who will play volleyball at Northern Iowa next season, led the Rockets with 14 points. Ava Eastlick kept EBF within striking distance for a while with her perimeter shooting, knocking down four 3-pointers and scoring 13 points.
Kaylee Helm put up a solid line for the Rockets with nine points, five rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks. Shafer’s twin Kate, who’ll also play volleyball at UNI, contributed five points, eight rebounds and three steals.
Ahead 10-7 after one quarter, Central Lyon began the second period with a 15-5 run to create some separation. Metzger started the burst with a follow shot and layup and Alexis Austin, Struckman and Hoogendoorn each hit a 3-pointer.
After that, it was just a matter of answering every time EBF made a move to cut into the lead and the Lions did just that.
EBF got as close as 40-33 on Kate Shafer’s trey midway through the third quarter. Central Lyon responded with six straight points to go up 46-33 and the lead fell below double figures only once after that.
