Lancers ride strong second half to a ‘W’

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

A pair of second half runs sparked Lincolnview to a 46-40 come from behind victory over visiting Delphos Jefferson on Friday.

After Tiffin University signee Colin Bailey (football) converted a pair of free throws that gave the Wildcats a 27-19 lead nearly halfway through the third quarter, the Lancers (4-14, 2-4 NWC) came alive. Garrett Richardson, Cal Evans and Cole Binkley splashed in three unanswered treys, putting Lincolnview ahead 28-27.

“Your team looks better when you can make some shots and we were able to do that,” Lincolnview head coach Brett Hammons said. “To get those three threes in a row was huge for us. It got our confidence up on the offensive end and the defensive end too.”

A steal and layup by Jefferson’s Andrew Miller with five seconds left in the period gave the Wildcats (5-13, 1-5 NWC) a 29-28 advantage, then Trent Treman drilled a triple 20 seconds into the fourth quarter to make it 32-29.

That’s when Daegan Hatfield took over for Lincolnview. The 6-5 senior converted three straight baskets to give the Lancers a 34-33 lead. Hatfield later had a pair of offensive rebounds and an assist that allowed Carson Fox to score and put Lincolnview up 40-35. Hatfield finished with a team high 14 points and seven rebounds.

“That’s what we need and he plays a big key for us, a big role for us,” Hammons said of Hatfield. “He’s still getting back from when we missed him for about a month with injury and sickness. I’m just proud of the effort he gave us tonight – he gave us a spark, so give credit to him and all the guys.”

From there, Lincolnview’s Landon Price hit four free throws to help seal the win.

“I thought we did good things in both halves,” Hammons said. “I’m glad we were able to make some halftime adjustments and come out and find a way to win this game.”

“Offensively we just couldn’t find the bucket,” Delphos Jefferson head coach Jordan Jettinghoff said. “I’m proud of our effort but Hatfield got some easy points and if we’re not scoring some guys let down defensively and they don’t refocus and that kind of hurt us.”

The two teams engaged in a low scoring first quarter with the Lancers claiming an 8-6 lead at the end of the period. A 17-9 second quarter scoring advantage gave the Wildcats a 23-17 halftime lead. Teman scored five points in the period and Bailey and Levi Rode each added four. Teman went on to lead all scorers with 15 points, while Bailey added 11.

Lincolnview finished the game 19-39 from the floor and 4-of-6 from the foul line, while Delphos Jefferson was 15-of-40 and 7-of-12. The Lancers held a slight rebounding advantage, 20-19.

Lincolnview will host Paulding tonight and Delphos Jefferson will play at Lima Central Catholic on Tuesday.

Box score

Lincolnview 8 9 11 18 – 46
Jefferson 6 17 6 11 – 40

Lincolnview: Garrett Richardson 3-0-7; Carson Fox 3-0-6; Landon Price 2-4-9; Daegan Hatfield 7-0-14; Cole Binkley 2-0-6; Ethan Crow 1-0-2

Delphos Jefferson: Colin Bailey 4-3-11; Trent Teman 5-2-15; Andrew Miller 2-2-6; Cole Hoersten 1-0-2; Levi Rode 3-0-6

JV: Lincolnview 59-52