Sports - January 2004

Wolves split against the Knights

By JOHN MARK BROOKS, Staff Writer

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The weather outside was cold, but the Lincolnton Wolves’ were hot, as they rolled over North Lincoln 82-39.

The Wolves jumped out to a 23-11 lead at the end of one quarter of play. The second quarter was no different with Lincolnton adding 26 more points to the scoreboard, while the Knights mustered 14 points for a 49-25 halftime score.

Wolves’ head coach Bob Cowie was pleased with his team’s play in the first half of action and said that opened the door to more minutes for inexperienced players.

“We played pretty well and were able to play everyone in the first half. A lot of people that hadn’t gotten to play a lot got a lot of minutes in the second half,” he said.

Cowie pulled his starters midway through the third quarter and emptied his bench in an attempt to get reserve players valuable game experience.

“All the regulars were sitting down midway through the third quarter, so we got everyone a chance to play,” he said.

The momentum, led by Eric Wilson’s 25 points, continued in the second half for the Wolves. They outscored the Knights 13-7 in the third quarter for a 65-32 advantage.

A 20-point fourth quarter allowed the Wolves to complete a five winning streak. However, Cowie said that it’s all relative.

“We’ve played a little bit better, but we have to keep in perspective the teams we’ve been playing are not the toughest part of our schedule. We’re certainly going to be tested Tuesday night against Shelby and then we go to Bunker Hill on Frida,y which certainly won’t be an easy game,” he said.

The Wolves had 12 players in their lineup to enter the scoring column. Eric Wilson paced the Wolves with 25. Darren Wilson contributed with 10 points, while Bradley Hunter scored a season high 10 points.

Guard Miquan Smith led the Knights in scoring with eight. Wayne White contributed with seven points, while Kenny Bethea chipped in with five points.

The loss lowers the Knights’ record to 0-13 and 0-2 in conference play. Lincolnton improves their record to 10-3 and 2-0 in the conference.

North Lincoln- Brandon Mull 4, Peyton Brady 3, Alex Loftin 2, Kyle Baker 2, Wayne White 7, Kenny Bethea 5, Miquan Smith 8, Kyle Whiteside 2, Aaron Mintun 4, Adam Shinn 2.

Lincolnton- Zack Gibson 4, Ed Barber 4, Eric Wilson 25, Dusty Friday 2, Darren Wilson 10, Kyle Whitesides 3, Richard Carlton 7, Jordy Jefferies 6, Bradley Hunter 10, Kyle Snyder 5, Josh Keener 2, Brant Eagle 4.

Varsity Women’s

The North Lincoln Lady Knights finally got over the hump, squeaking out a 36-35 victory over the Lady Wolves.

The Lady Knights outscored the Wolves 12-11 in the first quarter. That turned out to be crucial and proved that every point counts.

Both teams scored 10 points in the second quarter to make the half time score 22-21, North Lincoln’s lead.

The third and fourth quarters was more of the same. With the Lady Wolves matching the Lady Knights point for point. North and Lincolnton both scored six points in the third and eight points in the final quarter.

The Lady Knights outscoring the Wolves in the first quarter proved to be the difference in the ball game. However, in the waning seconds of the game Lincolnton had a chance to exorcise their first quarter demon.

Unfortunately, for the Lincolnton faithful, two free throws were missed and the loose ball was then corralled by Britney Reel to secure the victory.

“It was a close game at the end. We got it down to one point, but were not able to finish the game. After the free throws we were not able to capitalize on the rebound,” Lady Wolves’ head coach David Johnson said.

The win allows the Lady Knights to acquire the winning taste in their mouth this season. Recently, they were competitive against Lincolnton in the Peoples Bank Holiday Clash, but lost.

In the consolation game against West Lincoln they were competitive again losing, by three points. They also lost a closely-contested game to Bessemer City.

Head coach Mark Lackey summed up his team’s recent play and near victories.

“We made up a big deficit up against Lincolnton. First time going from 14 to three points down. We ultimately lost by 12. We played a heck of a basketball against West, but lost. We just haven’t been able to get over the hump,” he said.

Lackey, happy with his team’s win and thrilled for his girls.

 “It was very exciting. It was also a relief to the kids and took a lot of pressure off them,” he said.

 Johnson credited North, but felt the lack of execution in minor details was the difference in the contest.

“North Lincoln did a good job playing us, but I believe we are making small mistakes that in the long run end up hurting us,” he said.

Lacky was quick to credit, Lindsey Sain, who showed a lot of heart, playing on a limited basis with what is believed to be mononucleosis. She scored 10 points in the game.

“My hat goes off to Lincolnton. They played a heck of a game and they were able to compensate for Lindsey being under the weather,” he said.

North Lincoln’s half-court trap caused some problems for Lincolnton, forcing the Wolves to turn the ball over. Lackey believed execution turned out to be the difference in the ball game.

“My kids came out, played hard and we executed. We forced several turnovers and that helped us get over the hump,” he said.

Lindsey Smith paced the Lady Knights with 13 points, while Caroline Farris also scored in double figures with 11. Lackey was pleased with their leadership and his team’s hustle.

“We had a lot of hustle out of those two. Our whole team, in our press, was able to cause a lot of turnovers and get the ball to Lindsey and Caroline and they were able to convert on the break,” he said.

Lincolnton, who’s had a plethora of injuries and sickness during the year, lost yet another player. Jenna Ashurst, a post player, quit the team due to personal reasons. Johnson said it’s been frustrating, but says he’s trying to focus on the positives.

“As far as the year goes, it’s been a year of adversity, losing players and players getting hurt. Lindsey just adds to that. But it has allowed other players to play more and get better at the same time,” he said.

The Lady Wolves have moved up Hannah Parker, a JV player, up for Tuesday night varsity games.

Johnson, meanwhile, feels that this adversity will only make his squad tougher in the long run.

“This may be a tough year, but maybe next year it will make them better as a team,” he said.

The win raises North’s record to 3-10 and 0-2 in the conference. The Lady Wolves fall to 3-9 and 1-2 in the conference.

North Lincoln- Lindsey Smith 13, Caroline Farris 11, Jessie Devine 6, Kathryn Thorne 2, Calah Bynum 3, Sara McCall 1.

Lincolnton- Lindsey Sain 10, Brittany Jones 5, Shanda Faw 5, Andrea Smith 4, Santana Edwards 4, Charlotte Clark 3, Jessie Cline 2, Andrea Isoler 2.

© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

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