Seventeen tallies from the free throw line was key for the Alliance boy’s basketball team in their game against Lexington on Saturday. The Bulldogs used the good shots from the charity line plus a strong defensive effort in the defeating the Minute Men 61 to 47 in a game played in Alliance. With the victory, the Bulldogs now have a 13 and 9 record for the season. Playing in their last home game on the year, Alliance got a 20 point performance from Seth Meyring to lead the Dog offense. Fellow senior Payton Boyer contributed 11 including 8 from the free throw line. Junior Espen Lanik was good for 12 tallies for AHS. The Dogs led by just 3 points at halftime before slowly pulling away for the win. Also getting a W on the evening was the Bulldog JV club. Alliance won the junior varsity matchup played earlier at AMS, downing Lex 74 to 49.
All five starters for Alliance would score in the opening minutes of the first. It began with a triple by Bulldog Lexton Salcido and a Trevor Zurn hoop as the Dogs raced to an early. A free throw by Boyer and a 2 pointer by Meyring was next that put the hosts up 8 to 0. Following a three by Lex, a goal by Lanik helped Alliance go ahead 10 to 3. Two free throws by Boyer at the 4 minute stage pushed the Lex deficit to 9. Five quick tallies by Minute Men midway through the period closed the gap to 4 but back to back 2 pointers by Salcido and Meyring made the board read Alliance 16 Lexington 9 with seconds remaining in the quarter. A buzzer beating half court three by the visitors finished period #1 with Alliance in front 16 to 12.
Action was even in the second with Lex outscoring Alliance 12 to 11. Two good free throws by Meyring started the scoring with the Dogs going up by 6. Lex answered right back to tie the game at 18 with 3 straight buckets. With under 5 minutes left in the quarter, three pointers by Meyring and Boyer gave Alliance a little at room at 24 to 18. A Minute Men goal was next. It was followed by a free throw by Meyring and another deuce by the guests. At the 1 minute stage, the Dogs got their final score of the half with a basket by Creighton Fritzler. Lex responded with a 2 and the half ended with Alliance ahead 27 to 24.
Both teams had their moments in period #3. A two pointer by Meyring started the scoring for the Dogs but 4 straight by Lex made the score close at 29 to 28. Consecutive goals by Lanik and Meyring were next but a Lexington hoop had the scoreboard read Alliance 33 Lex 30 at the 4 minute mark. Bulldog free throws-one by Boyer and 2 by Lanik-ensued as the Bulldog’s lead grew to 6. Following a 2 by the guests, Alliance closed out the period on a 5 to 0 spree. Points by Meyring, Fritzler, and Lanik made the score Alliance 41 Lex 32 after 3 quarters of play.
Any thought of a Lexington comeback was put to the side early in the fourth. Nine straight Bulldog tallies gave the Bulldogs a comfortable lead of 50 to 32. The spurt began with hoops by Meyring and Fritzler. Up 13, Alliance got 2 more free throws by Boyer and a 3 ball by Fritzler to go up 18. A Lex free throw stopped the Dog run but back to back hoops by Lanik pushed the AHS margin to 21. Midway through the quarter, the guests made one last rally. Lex went on a 9 to 2 spree that closed their gap to 14. Alliance would only get a Meyring 2 pointer during the run. Ahead 56 to 42, the Bulldogs finished off the Minute Men with all their points coming from the free throw line. Both Zurn and Boyer sank 2 apiece while Meyring finished the contest with one from the line. Final Alliance 61 Lexington 47
LEX 12 12 8 15 47
ALL 16 11 14 20 61
Scoring for the Dogs Meyring 20 Lanik 12 Boyer 11 Fritzler 9 Salcido 5 Zurn 4
Alliance will travel to Sidney on Friday.