Ryan Ladika/MDN Senior Jaxon Feller (23) goes up for a layup in the first quarter of Bishop Ryan's Thursday night contest against Surrey.

The Bishop Ryan Lions looked to continue a stretch of early season dominance as they welcomed the Surrey High School Mustangs for a Thursday night matchup at Bishop Ryan High School.

The Lions, entering the contest having won seven of eight games this season, did not waste time asserting their dominance over the 6-4 Mustangs.

Fueled by four points from senior guard Logan Merck, Bishop Ryan exploded out of the opening tipoff. The home squad forced timely turnovers from the Mustangs, and jumped out to an early 14-2 lead with a little under four minutes to play in the first quarter.

After trading baskets for the remainder of the period, the Lions held an 18-6 lead after the opening eight minutes. Merck’s four points led the team in scoring.

The second quarter saw Surrey find its offensive footing with more consistency, scoring seven of the quarter’s first 11 points to trim Bishop Ryan’s lead to 22-13. The Lions’ Merck, Ian Johnson and Brady Feller drew up an answer, though, and accounted for 10 more points down the stretch to send the home squad to the locker room with a 32-18 lead.

Surrey was relentless following the second half’s opening whistle. The visitors improved their defensive strategy and took advantage of quality looks on offense to get back in the game. A 12-0 run, which started with the Mustangs down 46-26, straddled the break between quarters and saw Surrey pull close the gap to 47-38 by the time the Lions found the scoreboard again.

Merck was again the catalyst for Bishop Ryan rediscovering its attack, scoring five more points sandwiched around a Conner Thompson two-pointer to put his team ahead 54-42 late in the fourth quarter. The Lions eventually prevailed by a 66-52 final score, and won their seventh consecutive game in the victorious effort.

Merck led his team in scoring with 15 points, followed closely by Brady Feller’s 13 and Jaxon Feller’s 12. The 8-1 Lions are now expected to hit the road to Glenburn High School for their next game, scheduled for a 7 p.m. tipoff.