Quick start leads Zionsville past Crown Point

The Zionsville boys lacrosse team has been focused on getting off to good starts.

On Wednesday, that focus paid off.

The Eagles scored seven goals in the first quarter, and improved to 9-10 on the year with a 17-5 win over Crown Point.

"We did a great job tonight," Zionsville head coach James Rundle said. "It's something we we focused on this week especially, to make sure if we got a lead that we continued to hold that lead."

The seven goals in the first quarter were the second most the Eagles have scored this season in a opening frame.

But the focus was on making sure they kept the lead, after seeing a three-goal lead slip away against HSE in their last game.

On Wednesday, the Bulldogs never got closer than four after the first quarter, and Zionsville held them to one goal in the second half.

"Two games ago against Culver we didn't take that opportunity, and then last game against HSE we started really hot, and just didn't finish," Rundle said. "Every game at this time of the year is a battle."

Conor Murray got the Eagles on the board a little over a minute into the game.

Zach Strueh and Murray then scored 52 seconds apart to take a 3-0 lead with 6:50 left in the first quarter.

Crown Point responded with two goals in 19 seconds to get within 3-2, but in the final 3:57 of the quarter, goals from Troy Clemmer, Murray (2) and Hutson Meenan but the Eagles up 7-2.

Ashton Foxworthy made it 8-2 with 6:21 left in the half to put the Eagles up 8-2.

Crown Point again scored twice in quick succession, scoring twice in 34 seconds to get within 8-4, but Meenan scored his second goal of the game to make it 9-4 heading into the half.

"We had really good intensity to start," Rundle said. "We are coming into games more mentally prepared than we have in the past, and that's been a huge factor for us."

The Eagles didn't slow down in the second half, getting two goals each from Foxworthy, Meenan, Murray and Strueh.

Murray and Foxworthy both had two assists. Knox Walton, Meenan, Clemmer, Strueh and Blake Bohrer added assists.

The Eagles have won six of eight games in the past month.

They face North Central on Saturday morning to kick off the state tournament.

"I am loving where we are at," Rundle said. "We are playing our best lacrosse of the year right now, which is the goal. We just have to roll with it."