Turnaround season continues for Lancers

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports

From 5-18 last season to 22-5 this season, outright Northwest Conference champions, Division VI sectional and district champions and now, Bowling Green regional champions and state-semifinalists. That’s the story of the 2025-2026 Lincolnview Lancers in a nutshell.

The stunning turnaround is believed to be the biggest one in all of Ohio this season.

Lincolnview’s remarkable season continued with Saturday’s dominating 58-45 Division VI regional championship victory over defending regional champion Colonel Crawford at the Stroh Center. The Lancers trailed just twice, early in the first quarter and literally ran by the Eagles. Zander Coil provided a spark off the bench in the first quarter, scoring eight points while providing to be too quick for Colonel Crawford. Unfortunately, Coil, a high-flying 5-10 junior guard, broke his collarbone late in the third quarter, ending his season.

Gavin Evans and Max Hammons supplied all of Lincolnview’s second quarter points and defensively, the Lancers managed to keep the Eagles off-balance and uncomfortable offensively. By the fourth quarter, the Lincolnview led by as many as 17 points. Anytime Colonel Crawford scored, it seemed as though Lincolnview had an answer and every single Lancer player that entered the game provided a meaningful contribution. After the game, Eagles had coach Dave Sheldon admitted Lincolnview was too quick for his team and he offered nothing but praise for the Lancers during his postgame press conference.

Brett Hammons and two of his players, Max Hammons and Gavin Evans, also spoke with the media and the elder Hammons was asked if, in his wildest dreams, when the season started if he believed this team would earn the title of regional champions.

“No,” Hammons said. “I’m not going to sit here and say coming in I thought we’d be there. I’m just running through my head our senior class – a couple of them played some for me their freshman year, Gavin (Evans) came in his sophomore year at the varsity level toward the end of that season. They went from two wins to six wins to five wins. Now we’re sitting here with 22 wins.”

“It’s a credit to these guys and the effort they put in and I don’t think anyone would have imagined that a team that was 5-18 would turn it around the way we have,” he continued. “They bought into it and they gained a lot of confidence and they had a lot of belief in themselves. We’re a team that’s playing with a lot of confidence.”

“I think as the season went along we started to get big win after big win and these guys put time in and started making a tournament run. Our goal through the tournament has been to get to that net and be able to cut it down and to do it again and get back to state in 10 years (2015-2016 season) is a pretty special moment.”

The magical season will continue this Friday in the Division VI state semifinals against top-ranked Marion Local (26-1). The Lancers and Flyers are scheduled to play at 8 p.m. Friday at the Ervin J. Nutter Center at Wright State University, with the winner advancing to the state championship game at 7:30 p.m. Saturday against Berlin-Hiland or Kirtland at UD Arena at the University of Dayton.