By Marinda Lamb
Lincoln split the games for the second weekend in a row. They recovered from a loss to Needles by beating the Laughlin Cougars 59-38.
The Lynx had a rough start with Needles. Turnovers happened left and right, allowing Needles to take the lead right off the bat. Good ball movement on Lincoln’s side turned into a layup from Noah Smith. When the Lynx started scoring, they couldn’t get a break. Needles was matching all their points as soon as Lincoln made them. Landen Smith kept Lynx in the game scoring 3 times in a row. They are able to gain a few points and by the end of the first are down 3.
Lincoln’s Noah Smith got the Lynx moving in the second with a rebound and dribbling all the way down to the basket. However, the pattern of turnovers began to repeat in this quarter. Thomas Gloeckner came off the bench to shoot a short jumper, steal the ball and score again. Lynx still got a few points, but didn’t have enough stops to hold the Mustangs. Mustangs were up 34-23 at the half.
Lincoln’s defense picked it up in the third. They kept the Mustangs at 10 points that quarter and outscored them by 1. Lincoln’s Elijah Harr stole the ball and half court and turned it into a fast break layup. Alex Vincent hits a three, re-energizing the team. Lynx are down 34-44.
Lynx come out swinging in the 4th. Harr drives for a layup and earns a foul shot, beginning to close the gap. Vincent skillfully maneuvers through the defense to score again. Kamdon Lewis gets a steal to put the Lynx back on offense. Despite the team’s effort, Lynx fall short 51-58.
Thankfully, the Lynx got back in their game for Laughlin.
It took the teams a few minutes to score. Laughlin ahead at first, Lynx seemed to have a hard scoring. Until they start playing tough defense, causing turnovers for the cougars. Benson Wadsworth made a deep jump shot. They were crucial points for the Lynx to get the ball rolling. And they did just that. They kept Laughlin at 4 points.
In the second, Laughlin begins to gain a few points on the Lynx lead. Lincoln’s Kobe Walker doesn’t let them get their hopes up and hits three after three after three. The Lynx are ahead 31-16 at the half.
The second half, Lynx got a good start. Harr assists to Landen Smith for a layup. Brothers Landen and Noah Smith keep the Cougars on their toes with consecutive steals and layups. The score is 47-27 at the 4th.
Jordan Cameron hits a three to continue the lead. The Cougars have a hard time getting the ball with Wadsworth on the floor. Lynx keep up their drive and win 59-38.
Lincoln is 7-17 overall and 6-8 in league play, which puts the team sixth in the 2A Southern. The top four teams advance to next week’s regional tournament. The Lynx are currently two games behind fourth seeded Meadows (11-12, 8-6).
The Lynx final home games are against Democracy Prep(22-3, 13-0) today at 7:30 pm and Laughlin(0-17, 0-13) tomorrow at 4 p.m.
