Kristina Lloyd
Lynx junior Braiden McBride pulls down a rebound earlier this season.
The Lincoln County High School boys basketball team is markedly improved over last year, with three wins so far this season, including two league victories over Laughlin and Mountain View. One more win will tie their total for last year’s entire season.
The Lynx are one game under .500 at 2-3 in league play, but won’t be able to improve on that mark over the weekend as they head to Kanab for a two-day non-league tournament. The team hopes to continue making strides as it gears up for the rest of league play, starting with games at Needles (10-5 overall, 2-2 league) and Laughlin (2-6, 0-3) next Friday and Saturday.
At the beginning of the season head coach Ken Thornock said “all the competition is going to be tough this year, we won’t have any easy games.” It has been true. The boys have had to fight for every inch.
‘’Our team doesn’t really have a star player,” Thornock added. “We’re going to rely on our depth this season.”
That depth includes sophomore guard Kobe Walker and senior guard Justin Barton, who have both been deadly from beyond the ark. Most of the duo’s points come off threes.
Sophomore forward Noah Smith is also performing well. He averages 6.8 points a game, but his biggest contribution is his rebounding. He has a knack for getting position for boards, despite being undersized at 6 feet tall. Junior guards Elijah Harr and Brady Lawrence are two others who have been putting up points, and the team has gotten contributions throughout the roster so far this season.
After Needles and Laughlin, eight of the Lynx final ten games are at home. The team has one other non-league opponent, Virgin Valley, on Jan. 14 in Panaca.
The top four teams in the 2A Southern League will qualify for the regional tournament Feb. 17 and 18 at Sunrise Mountain High School in Las Vegas. Currently, Adelson School (6-2, 4-0) is tops in the league, followed by Agassi Prep (4-3, 3-0), The Meadows (6-4, 3-1), Calvary Chapel (3-6, 2-2) and Needles.
