Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Wolves Rally Down Stretch
CUMMINGS PROVIDES LATE SPARK
LINCOLN — Trailing 20-19 at halftime against Cedarville, the Lincoln boys basketball team went ice cold in the third then rallied for a 48-42 nonconference win on Dec. 17.
Playing on their home floor, the Wolves didn’t score for the first 6: 08 of the third period before they executed their half- court offense and Justin Brewer got a lay-up off a back cut. The score shifted momentum away from Cedarville, which was also struggling with their shooting. The Pirates finished just 4-of-15 at the free-throw line and couldn’t pull away.
“Justin Brewer finally broke the ice for us in the third with not much time left,” said Lincoln coach Tim Rich, expounding on the value of the hoop.
The Wolves were still in the game at that juncture trailing only 25-21 thanks to their defensive rebounding led by 6-foot-7 Shandon Goldman, who has been known primarily as a spot- up perimeter marksman.
“Shandon Goldman really wasn’t shooting well as a shooter but he had 12 rebounds, that’s the most he’s had in a game,” Rich said. “He stepped up his game in other areas when the shot wasn’t falling.”
Once the lid had been taken off, the basket shots started falling for Lincoln. Ossy Escareno hit a 3-pointer from the left corner pulling Lincoln within, 25-24, at the 1: 31 mark of the third frame igniting Lincoln supporters in the crowd, who hadn’t seen much to cheer about up to that point.
They raised the roof even more when Goldman faked a 3-pointer and made an athletic move going airborne on a drive and scooping in a shot underneath a backpedalling defender.
The 6-0 run was enough to give Lincoln a 26-25 advantage, their first lead since late in the first quarter.
Cedarville tied the contest at 26-26 nine seconds into the fourth stanza on a free throw but Lincoln played valiantly down the stretch. Brewer knocked down a rainbow jumper on a dish from Escareno and Colton Barnum got a hand on the ball to force a traveling call while defending the post.
Escareno then raised a trifecta from the right wing with 6:30 to go and Lincoln went up by five, at 31-26. Corey Fincher put back a Cedarville miss and Barnum answered for Lincoln by going up strong. Alex Cantrell hit a running shot off- the- glass to keep the Pirates within 33-30 and Cedarville called timeout.
When play resumed, Lincoln was supercharged by the efforts of senior Tyler Cummings playing in his first basketball game since his sophomore year after sitting out last season with a torn ACL. Cummings drained a 3- pointer from the right wing, then after the teams traded 2-point buckets and Cantrell hit a trey for Cedarville, Cummings faked a three from the top-of-the-key and drove for a score in the paint and a 40-35 Lincoln cushion with 2:31 remaining.
“Tyler in the fourth, he stepped up and made some big baskets for us,” Rich said. “I tell you what that three-pointer was huge. It’s been awhile since he’s been on the court.”
Cantrell made another 3-pointer cutting the lead to 44-42 with 32 seconds left but Payton Hulse sank a pair of foul shots and Escareno cleared a defensive rebound and got the outlet to Cummings, who, in turn, spotted Barnum racing downcourt for a lay- up at the buzzer and Lincoln won 48-42.