CENTERVILLE, Ind. – Lincoln Head Girls Basketball Coach Rob Bills was pleased with Tuesday’s outcome of his team’s Tri-Eastern Conference battle with Centerville.
“It was really a pretty exciting game,” Bills said of Lincoln’s 67-65 overtime victory over the Bulldogs.
Laynie Russell scored all six of her points in the extra session to lead the Golden Eagles in the contest’s critical moments.
“The one thing I like about this group is that they just play hard all of the time,” Bills said. “It’s always a battle. I’m just glad that we came out on top.”
After Lauren Honkomp gave the Bulldogs a 64-63 lead with 1:29 left, Russell drilled a 3-pointer 18 seconds later to put the Golden Eagles in front for good at 66-64.
“I’m really pleased with the way our kids played,” Centerville Head Coach Jason Searcy said. “It’s just some execution things at the end of the game.”
“Our kids executed our game plan almost perfectly,” Searcy added. “They fought the entire night.”
Bulldogs Grab Early Lead
Centerville got off to a 12-6 start in the opening period when Savannah Kates scored with 1:29 remaining. The Bulldogs were able to hold on by the end of the first with a 12-11 advantage.
In the second quarter, the Bulldogs pulled away to go on top 30-16 when Kaylin Smith scored late in the frame. By halftime, Lincoln cut the deficit to 30-22.
The Bulldogs were able to widen their margin early in the third as Kates scored to make it 38-26 at the 5:31 mark.
“We were battling ourselves a little bit,” Bills said. “Centerville did a great job of getting out early and we kept losing their shooters.”
“We made some defensive adjustments at halftime,” Bills added.
The changes started to pay dividends at that points.
“We were down 12 and we came back with a 13-0 run,” Bills said. “That takes a lot of toughness. We played with great energy and we had a lot of kids who contributed. I’m so proud of them.”
Allie Owens capped the rally with a 3-pointer to give Lincoln a 39-38 lead with 1:55 left in the third period, which set the stage for a tight contest the rest of the way.
Kerrigan Neff led the Golden Eagles with 19 points, while Owens finished with 15. Kylei Klein tossed in 11 points.
Merissa Ross led the Bulldogs with 26 points. Kates added 12 points and Honkomp had 11 points.
Lincoln won the JV contest 24-19. Rachel Merida led the Golden Eagles with 14 points, while Katie Lakes tossed in a team-high four points for the Bulldogs.
Centerville (2-5, 0-1) entertains Lapel on Saturday afternoon, while Lincoln (4-1, 1-0) returns to action at Tri on Tuesday, Dec. 1.
Box Score
LINCOLN (4-1, 1-0) – Hannah Hall 1 2-2 4, Emmie Pugh 2 0-1 4, Laynie Russell 2 1-2 6, Kerrigan Neff 8 2-2 19, Kylie Klein 5 1-2 11, Allie Owens 6 0-1 15, Olivia Davis 4 0-0 8. Team – 28 6-10 67.
CENTERVILLE (2-5, 0-1) – Alex McFarland 2 0-0 6, Lauren Honkomp 4 2-2 11, Merissa Ross 7 7-7 26, Savannah Kates 5 2-2 12, Maggie Curts 0 0-0 0, Kaylin Smith 3 1-2 8, Madilyn Coomes 1 0-0 2, Cassidy Weiss 0 0-0 0. Team – 22 12-13 65.
Lincoln 11 22 44 57 67
Centerville 12 30 44 57 65
3-pointers – Lincoln 5 (Owens 3, Russell 1, Neff 1), Centerville 9 (Ross 5, McFarland 2, Honkomp 1, Smith 1). Rebounds – Lincoln 46 (Klein 11, Neff 10), Centerville 31 (Honkomp 7). Turnovers – Lincoln 22, Centerville 16. Fouls – Lincoln 12, Centerville 16.