|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|||||||||
|
Sports |
|||||||||
|
Wolves split with Cavaliers From staff reports Lincolnton 59, East Rutherford 51 Jan. 23, 2002 - The inconsistency that has marked Lincolnton’s basketball season surfaced at the wrong time. The Wolves went into a Tuesday night home game against East Rutherford with a three-game winning streak and an opportunity to be 5-2 at the midpoint of the Midwest 2A Conference race. Instead, the Wolves (4-8, 4-3 Midwest 2A) blew an eight-point lead during a disastrous third quarter and never regained their spark in a 59-51 loss to the Cavaliers (14-3, 5-2). The struggles came after a solid first half in which the Wolves outplayed East Rutherford and took a 27-19 lead into the break. However, in the third quarter Lincolnton’s inside players got into foul trouble, and the Cavaliers hit the offensive boards aggressively. Monteria Watkins, a fullback on the East Rutherford football team, powered his way inside for nine third-quarter points as the Cavaliers pulled out to a 41-38 lead. Lincolnton got within one midway through the fourth quarter, but questionable shot selection and porous interior defense down the stretch stalled the rally. “The third quarter lost that basketball game,” Lincolnton coach Bob Cowie said. “We did not get out to a good start in the third quarter. I thought our intensity was poor. If we are not playing very hard and executing, we are very, very mediocre. If we play hard and execute, we are a pretty good team. In the third quarter, we were mediocre.” The free-throw shooting for each team reflected East Rutherford’s dominance in the paint. The Cavaliers had 20 foul shots to Lincolnton’s six and outscored the home team 13-3 at the stripe. Two of the Wolves’ inside players, Herman Lopez and Junior Smith, picked up their fourth fouls late in the third quarter. Lincolnton was forced to a smaller lineup, and the Cavaliers ruled the offensive and defensive backboards the rest of the way. The Cavaliers broke a 38-38 tie on a 3-pointer by Brian Petty with 35 seconds left in the third quarter. That ignited a 7-0 East Rutherford run that stretched the lead to seven early in the fourth stanza. The Wolves trimmed the deficit to one, but Watkins bulled in for a basket, drew a foul and coverted a three-point play to make the score 50-46. The Wolves never got any closer. Watkins scored 14 of his game-high 16 points in the second half. The outside shooting of junior wing Robby Lewis kept Lincolnton within range. Lewis made his first four field goal attempts and finished the night 6-for-9 for a career-high 15 points. Nine of Lewis’ points came from behind the 3-point arc. Eric Wilson scored 14 for the Wolves but went scoreless in the pivotal third quarter. Darren Wilson managed 11 points despite going 5-for-15 from the field. Cowie summed up the night this way. “At times we show signs of being a very good team. Then we take a step back and are mediocre,” he said. The Wolves go to Newton-Conover Friday to face a Red Devil team that was leading the Midwest 2A going into Tuesday’s action. Boys ER 9 9 23 18--59 Linc.13 14 11 13--51 East Rutherford--Brian Petty 12, Adrian Phillips 15, T. Watkins 3, Monteria Watkins 16, Thompson 1, Jackson 2, Robinson 9. Lincolnton--Eric Wilson 14, Darren Wilson 11, Robby Lewis 15, Degree 2, Finger 4, Smith 2, Lopez 3.
Lady Wolves Lincolnton 49, East Rutherford 32 Lincolnton trailed by two at the half, but outscored East Rutherford 29-10 over the final 16 minutes to win easily. The Lady Wolves pulled down 36 defensive rebounds against a cold-shooting Cavalier team. Senior Lauren Bartholomew had a double-double for Lincolnton with 19 points and 16 rebounds. Andrea Stroup followed with 13 points and freshman Lindsey Sain added 10 points and nine boards. Shantae Shank led the Lady Wolves defensively with four steals. Lincolnton is in excellent position at the halfway point with a 5-2 league record, 6-5 overall. Girls ER 13 9 3 7 — 32 Linc.15 5 15 14 — 49 East Rutherford--Watkins 10, Burns 6, Jurson 7, Boyce 4, Miller 8. Lincolnton--Andrea Stroup 13, Lauren Bartholomew 19, Lindsey Sain 10, Shank 7.
|
|||||||||
|
© 2001 Lincoln Times-News |
|||||||||
|
||||||
|
