Lincolnview girls fall to Kalida Wildcats

Van Wert independent sports

It was a close one, but the Lincolnview Lady Lancers could never quite catch up, losing to Kalida 56-50 in a non-conference basketball game held Tuesday.

The Dye sisters, Katie and Claire, led the scoring for the Lancers. Katie Dye had 18 points, while her sister scored 11 for Lincolnview. The Wildcats had three players in double figures, led by Summer Holtkamp and Nicole Kaufman, each with 11 points, and Alexis Wurth with 10. Brandi Merchman had 9 points for Kalida.

The Lady Wildcats got out to a quick lead, 19-13, at the end of the first quarter, but the Lancers outscored Kalida 15-14 in the second stanza to trail by five, 33-28, at the half. It was the Wildcats by a basket, 13-11, in the third period, to up their lead to seven, while Lincolnview staged a mini-rally in the final quarter, but couldn’t close the gap enough to steal the victory.

The key to the game was free throws, as Kalida made 15 of 26 attempts, while the Lancers had only 6 opportunities, but made 4 of those.

The Wildcat junior varsity squad also won, 43-35.

Lincolnview will next play cross-county rival Crestview on Thursday at Crestview.