Lincolnview hangs on to beat USV 54-48

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports editor

Lincolnview used a barrage of three point field goals to build a double digit lead, then the Lancers hung on to defeat Upper Scioto Valley 54-48 on Friday.

Collin Overholt drilled four threes, including three straight to put the Lancers (5-3) ahead 17-13 at the end of the period, then the 5-10 junior drained another to give the hosts a 20-13 advantage early in the second quarter. He finished with 15 points.

“He struggled a little bit at the beginning of this year shooting outside, but the way he started tonight’s game was huge for us,” Lincolnview head coach Brett Hammons said. “He got open and was able to knock down shots for us and it gave the rest of our guys a spark. I’m extremely pleased with him – he’s the quarterback of our team and I thought he did a phenomenal job tonight.”

Landon Price and Aaron Cavinder each added a trey later to put the Lancers ahead 30-22 at halftime, then Cavinder and Creed Jessee hit back-to-back triples to push the lead to 36-24 early in the third quarter. However, Upper Scioto Valley’s Connor Sanders scored twice and Jackson Rohrs added a bucket to chip away at the lead, before Jessee beat the buzzer with a with a basket to give the Lancers a 45-34 lead at the end of the period. The 6-2 junior went on to finish with a double-double, 18 points and 10 rebounds.

USV (6-5) opened the fourth quarter with a 6-0 run on a pair of baskets by Kadyn Hurley and one by Quinn Sanders, and the Rams held the Lancers scoreless until the 3:14 mark, when Jake Bowersock scored to make it 47-40. Quinn Sanders, who finished with a team high 17 points, hit a triple to put USV within four, then Jessee hit a short jumper before Hurley drained a three to pull within three, 49-46 with 2:15 left.

Lincolnview missed the front end of two one-and-ones, but Jessee calmly hit three of four foul shots with under 30 seconds left to give the Lancers some breathing room, 52-46, and he pulled down three key rebounds late in the quarter.

“He’s our most experienced guy from last year and this year he’s stepped up big for us in all our games, Hammons said of Jessee. “We like having the ball in his hands and I thought he made some good decisions with it tonight. He knocked down some shots which is huge for us and he’s a guy we’re going to count on.”

Hammons also noted he was pleased that his team maintained its composure after the lead dwindled to three points.

“I thought even when shots weren’t going in we just kept working hard and thankfully we found a way to win,” the coach said.

The Lancers finished 19-60 (32 percent from the floor), including 10-27 from three point range, while the Rams were 20-55 from the field (36 percent), including 5-24 from beyond the arc.

After a slow start, Lincolnview won the rebounding battle 30-27 and the Lancers turned the ball over just six times, compared to eight for USV.

“We just new we had to crash the glass on both ends and we have guys who are athletic and can go do that,” Hammons said. “Getting an offensive rebound and kicking out for an open shot and knocking it in, that’s kind of a dagger. It makes it difficult for them and I thought we did a good job with that.”

Lincolnview will return to action tonight at Fort Recovery.

Scoring summary

LHS 17 13 15 9 – 54
USV 13 9 12 14 – 48

Lincolnview: Landon Price 1-0-3; Clayton Leeth 1-0-2; Aaron Cavinder 2-2-8; Collin Overholt 5-3-15; Jake Bowersock 3-1-7; Creed Jessee 7-3-19

Upper Scioto Valley: Jackson Rohrs 3-1-7; Evan Thompson 1-0-2; Drew Stephens 1-0-3; Connor Sanders 4-2-10; Kayden Hurley 4-0-9; Quinn Sanders 7-0-17

JV: Lincolnview 52-37