Lincoln Junior Teams Win Twin Crowns

LINCOLN — Both the Lincoln boys and girls junior basketball teams claimed a conference crown in the finals Saturday.

The boys beat West Fork, 43-39, while the girls dusted off Elkins, 38-32.

“We got to send off the old gym in a great way,” said Deon Birkes, Lincoln girls coach and athletic director.

Birkes noted next year the Wolves will be in a new gym and this was a great way to start off with momentum carrying over from the twin championships.

The deciding quarter happened in the second frame as the junior Wolves overtook the West Fork boys. Lincoln trailed 8-6 after the first period, but seized momentum by outscoring the Tigers, 13-9, in the second.

Lincoln’s offense featured balanced scoring with Kaleb Ayers and Alec Pitts leading the way with nine points apiece. Also scoring were: Drew Harris, eight; Shandon Goldman, six; Cord Mccaslin, six; Ryan Dye, four; and Gustavo Rojas, one.

Three Lady Wolves reached double figures in the girls championship. Jaycie Neeley scored 12, while Madi Rich and Sarah Siffing chipped in 10 each. Aspen Paine, Taylor Cunningham and Courtney Lloyd contributed two points apiece.

Neeley had a solid allaround game with five rebounds and three steals with Rich grabbing four rebounds and getting three steals. Lincoln maintained a 33-26 lead after three quarters and went on to claim the first-place trophy with a 38-32 victory over Elkins.