Lincoln Head Coach Rodney Klein talks to his team during a timeout on Dec. 23.
CAMBRIDGE CITY, Ind. – Lincoln’s boys basketball team had three players in double figures on Wednesday night as the Golden Eagles defeated Randolph Southern 46-44.
“Our effort was there and we did what we had to do to win,” Lincoln Head Coach Rodney Klein said. “Sometimes you win ugly.”
Hunter Ferris led Lincoln with 13 points, while Chase Southerland tossed in a dozen.
Garrett Pumphrey recorded a triple-double with 11 points, 12 rebounds and 10 blocked shots.
“We did a good job closing this game out and we’re getting better at that,” Pumphrey said.
Pumphrey anchoring the defense has helped the Golden Eagles this season, who are now 4-4 overall.
Garrett Pumphrey
“He’s always making you look out for him,” Klein said. “We were able to do some things defensively all year long because we can go out and pressure because we know he’s back there.”
“That’s what we expect from him,” Klein added. “We just have to keep getting better and I think we will.”
Neither team could score early in the contest until Ferris hit the first basket of the affair with 4:13 left in the opening period. The Golden Eagles eventually led 11-10 at the first stop.
The contest remained tight through the second and third quarters with the Golden Eagles leading 30-27 heading into the final stanza.
Chase Southerland
Lincoln posted eight points in a row to begin the fourth as the Golden Eagles built a 38-27 advantage when Southerland scored with 5:15 to go.
The Rebels (1-5) answered with a run of eight straight to close the gap to 38-35 with 3:48 remaining.
“They make good decisions offensively,” Klein said of the Rebels, who made five treys in the fourth quarter. “Their shots were falling and they were able to stay in the game.”
From that point, Lincoln was able to hold off the Rebels the rest of the way. A 3-pointer at the buzzer by Randolph Southern’s Nick Dunham made the contest a two-point affair. Dunham finished with a game-high 16 points.
Hunter Ferris
Austin Wampler led Lincoln to a 49-30 victory in the JV contest. James Pugh added 10 points and Luke Isaacs tossed in seven.
Lincoln returns to action at home against Daleville on Saturday, Jan. 2.
Box Score
RANDOLPH SOUTHERN (1-5) – Nick Dunham 6 2-4 16, Caleb Wissel 4 1-2 9, Kory Slick 4 0-0 12, Alex Wigginton 2 0-0 4, Zach Jessee 1 0-0 3, Dalton Spencer 0 0-0 0. Team – 17 3-6 44.
LINCOLN (4-4) – Ben Bertsch 0 0-0 0, Caleb Craig 1 0-0 3, Chase Southerland 3 4-4 12, Hunter Ferris 5 2-4 13, Garrett Pumphrey 5 1-2 11, Nick Cupp 3 1-2 7, Bryant Hilbert 0 0-0 0, Luke Isaacs 0 0-0 0. Team – 17 8-12 46.
Randolph Southern 10 15 27 44
Lincoln 11 19 30 46
3-pointers – Randolph Southern 7 (Slick 4, Dunham 2, Jessee 1), Lincoln 4 (Southerland 2, Craig 1, Ferris 1). Rebounds – Randolph Southern 35 (Wigginton 9), Lincoln 28 (Pumphrey 12). Turnovers – Randolph Southern 11, Lincoln 13. Fouls – Randolph Southern 15, Lincoln 10.