The Chapel Field Lions came into Wednesday night’s non-league boys’ basketball game not having played since the middle of December.

And they got off to a slow start and weren’t able to recover as they were outscored by 17 points in the second quarter and fell 58-32 to the Highland Huskies at Highland High School.

The Lions had a brief lead in the first quarter when Jonah McDuffie, who led the Lions with 19 points, converted a four-point play to give them a 7-5 lead with 5:17 left in the first quarter.

However, that was as much momentum as the Lions could muster as the Huskies tied the game to start a 6-0 run that pushed the Lions behind, 13-7. The Huskies would never trail again.

McDuffie ended Highland’s run with a jump shot with 46 seconds left in the first quarter. However, Highland’s Michael Forzano added a 3-pointer to give the Huskies a 16-9 lead after the first quarter.

The Huskies had an even stronger second quarter, outscoring the Lions 19-2, as they took a 35-11 halftime lead. Mikey Bonagura provided the Lions’ only basket, a layup with 1:57 left in the quarter.

Overall, the Lions didn’t have an answer for the Huskies’ Reid Berean, who had a 20-20 game, finishing with a game-high 21 points and 20 rebounds, 13 defensive. He scored 10 points off offensive rebounds.
Leland Dubois also scored 15 points.

The Lions, who entered the second half trailing by 24 points, started getting their offense going in the third quarter.

After Forzano’s basket gave the Huskies a 37-11 lead, McDuffie knocked down a 3-pointer and Bonagura followed with a jumper to pull the Lions to within 21 points.

Highland’s Josh Bishop answered with a putback to restore a 23-point Highland lead, but a jump shot by Micah McDuffie started a 7-0 Chapel Field run. Jonah McDuffie’s 3-pointer cut Highland’s lead to 16 points, prompting Highland coach Mike Milliman to call a timeout.

That was as close as the Lions would get. Dubois converted a three-point play out of the timeout, starting a 9-0 run that gave the Huskies a 48-23 lead.

The third quarter was the Lions’ best as they outscored the Huskies, 16-15.

It’s been a struggle for the Lions since they won a non-league game against the Class A Wallkill Panthers, 53-47, on December 5, 2023. They followed that six days later with a loss to Class C S.S. Seward.

They went into the break by winning their first Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association Division 6 game, 57-38, over the Eldred Yellowjackets.