PRAIRIE GROVE -- A rescheduled game was just what Prairie Grove needed, one night after taking a 31-point thrashing at Pea Ridge, the Tigers rebounded with a solid, 55-38, win over Lincoln.
"They (Pea Ridge) kind of took us to task for sure," said Prairie Grove coach Steve Edmiston. "I was proud of our effort tonight coming off that one last night. I was anxious to see how our boys would respond."
Prairie Grove 55, Lincoln 38
Lincoln^7^11^13^7^—^38
Prairie Grove^11^15^16^13^—^55
Lincoln: Troy Sugg 3 1-2 9, Bryce Means 4 0-0 8, Brance Sugg 3 0-0 7, Harrison Swayne 1 2-4 4, Dalton Lee 2 0-0 4, Sterling Morphis 2 0-0 4, Brent Crews 1 0-0 2. Totals 16 3-6 38.
Prairie Grove (9-8, 7-2): Cameron Simmons 6 4-5 16, DeMarcus Cooper 5 3-7 13, Isaac Disney 4 0-1 8, Taylor Moore 4 0-0 8, Zeke Laird 2 0-2 4, Braden Risner 1 0-0 2, D.J. Pearson 1 0-2 2, Will Pridmore 1 0-2 2. Totals 24 7-19 55.
3-Point Goals — Lincoln 3 (Troy Sugg 2, Brance Sugg), Prairie Grove None.
Respond they did with a trio of post players, Cameron Simmons (16 points), DeMarkus Cooper (13) and Taylor Moore (8) dominating the paint. Their combined 37-point output helped offset a night when the Tigers made zero threes and shot just 7 of 19 at the free throw line.
"When they are clicking, they work together and they find each other," Edmiston said. "For the most part we did a good job of executing the high-low post tonight. We didn't shoot it real good, but we were good on getting to the boards. At the free throw line, we struggled tonight. That's something we've got to improve upon for sure."
Cooper came off the bench firing. He missed a 3-pointer, but converted an old-fashioned 3-point play after a Simmons blocked-shot robbed Lincoln of what looked like a sure basket set up by Bryce Means' pass. Cooper got Lincoln in foul trouble with his play in the paint. Two Wolf starters, Troy Sugg and Harrison Swayne, fouled out. Cooper's hoop and harm gave the Tigers an 11-7 advantage after one quarter.
"Cooper has got a good touch, he likes that 3-point shot if they play him soft, but I like him better underneath," Edmiston said. "He knows how to use that big body and get to the rim. He's really hard to defend once he gets you on his back."
Means got the roll after he penetrated and took a jumper in the key, but Cooper came back with a dish to Simmons cutting for a layup and the Tigers led, 13-9, with 6:20 to go in the first half. The Wolves answered with Brent Crews' 15-footer before Prairie Grove scored three times in a 30 second span. The spurt began with Cooper making the first and missing the second of a pair of free throws. Lincoln got the rebound, but was careless with the outlet which Zeke Laird stole and laid in for two more Tiger points. Twenty-four seconds later Cooper threaded the needle for another assist to Simmons going to the basket.
Prairie Grove extended a 26-18 halftime lead into a 42-31 cushion after three periods. Moore had three baskets playing with his back to the basket in the post. He utilized his leaping ability to shoot over Lincoln in the paint.
"He jumps well enough, but sometimes he shoots it on the way up instead of at the peak of his leap," Edmiston said. "He can get any shot he wants because he leaps so well. If you get him in a 10 to 12 feet radius, he's pretty solid for us."
Any notions Lincoln had of making a comeback were dashed in the fourth by Simmons' shot-blocking and rebounding. A potential Lincoln 7-2 run never materialized because Simmons twice erased shots when the Wolves got to the rim. In between Troy Sugg hit a trifecta, but Isaac Disney elevated in the lane and scored keeping the Tigers in front, 46-36, with 4:40 remaining. The bucket kick-started an 11-2 Tiger run to close out the game, winning 55-38.
"Cameron Simmons did a great job once he settled down and stood his ground and got his arms up," Edmiston said. "He did a great job rebounding offensively and defensively. Last night (at Pea Ridge) there were no rebounds to be had."
Lincoln coach Tim Rich blamed the loss on himself, saying the Wolves didn't rebound well enough after halftime to stay in the game.
"We didn't finish hard on the boards in the second half," Rich said. "I thought we started out good on the boards in the first half. We didn't do it in the second half. I didn't do a good job of getting them refocused for the second half."
Sports on 01/18/2017