CAMPBELL HILL – The Carterville Lions boys basketball team played a neutral tournament game against the Steeleville Warriors on Wednesday, December 4th. The Lions fell short 62-56, falling to 1-1 on the season.

The game started off poorly for the Lions. The Warriors jumped out to a 4-0 start just before foul troubles began for the Lions. Several players picked up two fouls for Carterville, limiting the playtime of several starters for the first half. Through all of this, the Lions showed resilience and led 15-13 at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter was more of the same for the Lions, preserving the lead without several key players. A layup in traffic from senior Logan Ingle put the Lions up 3 with under ten seconds to go in the half, 31-28.

The Lions were optimistic heading into the second half, however foul trouble continued to hinder the Lions ability to pull away. The Warriors remained in the game after a deep, last second pull-up three from junior Kaden Wilson to put the Lions up five going into the final quarter.

The Lion’s momentum was squashed almost immediately as the Warriors scored five unanswered points to tie the game, in only 25 seconds. Carterville was unable to make a comeback, with the Warriors outscoring the Lions 21-6 in the fourth. The buzzer sounded a heartbreaking first loss for the Lions.

Alex Kimbrough led Carterville in scoring with 14, with Kaden Wilson following right behind with 13. Jadan Wilson and Parker Poole both added seven. Zach Snow dropped in six, along with Logan Ingle’s four points. Maddox Gulley and Colton Hawkins scored two, and Max Lustenberger added a free throw. The Carterville Lions are back in action at the Trico Tournament on Friday, December 6th, against the Red Bud Musketeers. For more Carterville Athletics updates, follow @CartervilleAth on both Instagram and X/Twitter.