Robert Brewer/MDN Bishop Ryan junior forward Sydney Upton (11) gets ready to launch a contested three point shot in the first half of last night's game against Bottineau.

The Bishop Ryan Lions girls basketball team earned its fifth win of the season as they protected home court with a win over the Bottineau Stars (3-6) on Tuesday night.

After initially struggling on the offensive end of the floor, the Lions were able to find spots in the Bottineau defense, and ended the first period with an 11-8 lead. In the second, Bottineau’s press caused more problems for the home Lions as the Stars started off the period on a 7-0 run.

Withstanding the run by a feisty and defensive Stars club, the Lions evened things up at 18-18 on the strength of a layup from forward Sydney Upton late in quarter. With less than a minute to go before the half, guard Berkley Lundeen broke free to score a bucket in transition, making the score 20-20.

Bishop Ryan would score the last basket before the break as senior guard Nora Kramer received an inbound pass with seconds remaining and swished a baseline three pointer as time expired in the half. After several ties and lead changes, the Lions took a 23-20 advantage at the break.

Bishop Ryan continued to build on its lead in the third. A late three by Upton followed by a layup from Lundeen gave the Lions a 35-24 lead to close out the quarter. Then about halfway through the fourth, a driving layup by Kramer extended Bishop Ryan’s lead to 44-31. She later drained a mid range jumper to make the margin 46-31.

The Lions controlled tempo for the remainder of the game en route to the 16-point victory. Kramer led all scorers with 22 points, and Upton added 14. For Bottineau, Kylie Simpson led her club with 20 points on the evening.

Now 5-4 on the year, Bishop Ryan is scheduled to face Our Redeemer’s on the road this Thursday at 7:15 p.m.