LINCOLN -- Lincoln went 2-1 during the Queens of the Court girls basketball tournament at Green Forest to open the season.
The Lady Wolves lost to Bergman, 59-48, on Wednesday, Nov. 13, then defeated Omaha, 46-38, on Thursday, Nov. 14, and Eureka Springs, 45-20, on Saturday, Nov. 16. Every one of those teams started their season earlier than Lincoln and already had games under their belt.
Bergman came into the tournament undefeated with a 3-0 record and was the strongest opponent Lincoln faced. Bergman made 5-of-12 on its 3-point attempts. The Lady Panthers were also very good at the free throw line (18-of-23) where they shot 78 percent.
Bergman jumped out to a 23-10 first quarter lead and stayed ahead, 34-25, at halftime although Lincoln had four more points in the second quarter. Second half scoring was nearly equal with Bergman holding a slight 25-23 edge and Lincoln could not make up the first-half deficit, losing by 11.
Sophomore Kara Ponder scored a game-high 20 points for Bergman with a strong all-around game of 20 points, 2 assists and 6 steals. Freshman Madison Holt added 15 points, 8 rebounds and a blocked shot, while Courtney Menke contributed 11 points for balanced scoring.
Robin Kirk led Lincoln with 18 points while Kyli Jenkins chipped in 15 and Kinley Webb also reached double figures with 10. Tania Ortiz scored 4 and Landree Cunningham, 1.
Lincoln got blocked shots on defense from four different players and recorded six total.
Bergman 59, Lincoln 48
Lincoln^10^15^10^13 -- 48
Bergman^23^11^12^13 -- 59
LINCOLN 46, OMAHA 38
Omaha took an early lead but Lincoln fought back with hustle and defense. Kirk dove on the floor to make a steal and came up with a loose ball. She had the presence of mind to find Jenkins with the outlet, who took the ball the length of the court.
A big second quarter in which the Lady Wolves outscored Omaha, 18-9, proved the difference in the contest. Tania Ortiz had two steals. First she swiped an outlet pass and fed Jenkins for a layup, then later took away a dribble before using a fancy behind-the-back dribble of her own to get to the hoop.
Ortiz drew the defense when she got into the lane and passed to Jenkins, who banked in a 3-pointer off the glass. Jenkins would nail a trio of trifectas over a 2:04 span. She hit from the corner on an in-bounds play underneath the basket, then drained a step-back three from the left wing and took a return pass from Ortiz to get open again where she connected on a trey, giving Lincoln a 29-22 advantage.
Lincoln led 30-22 at halftime and matched Omaha point-for-point in the second half to take a 46-38 win. Jenkins led Lincoln with 22 points. Ortiz and Cunningham added 8 apiece with Webb scoring 4, Kirk, 2; and Joceyln Watts, 2.
Lincoln 46, Omaha 38
Lincoln^12^18^8^8^--^46
Omaha^13^9^7^9^--^38
LINCOLN 45, EUREKA SPRINGS 20
Lincoln defeated Eureka Springs, 45-20, in the Lady Wolves' final game of the tournament. Ortiz passed to Jenkins for a 3-pointer and an early Lincoln lead. Cunningham blocked a shot and Jenkins cleared the defensive rebound. On offense, Abby Goldman knocked down a 3-point shot. She would get another one courtesy of a good look from Ortiz, who took one dribble then dished the ball to Goldman in the corner and cut the lane. Cunningham had a second block hustling to rob Eureka Springs of a fast-break layup and late in the contest she scored off a breakaway steal. Lincoln out-rebounded Eureka Springs, 29-19, and had 13 assists and 10 steals.
Sports on 11/27/2019