LLCC women’s basketball continues with confidence.
March 6, 2020
Lincoln Land entered the tournament at 26-4, and their season will continue on with a win on Wednesday night 76-56 over Lewis & Clark.
The Loggers started the game strong by scoring early and a strong defense holding Lewis & Clark to only 5 points in the first quarter. The Loggers went off in the 2nd quarter and entered half time with a commanding 52-24 lead. That lead was way too much for Lewis & Clark to overcome.
Lincoln Land had a slow 3rd quarter. They were outscored 15-11 to bring the score to 63-39 going into the 4th quarter. At that point, the goal was just to hold the lead so a low scoring 4th quarter brought the final score to 76-56. The Loggers would hold onto the 28-point lead easily winning the game 76-56.
Katryel Clark led the Loggers with 25 points. Maclayne Taylor had 15 points and Hannah Wallen led the Loggers with 9 rebounds.
On the importance of the early lead to winning the game Head Coach, Chad Jones said “In any game, it’s important to get out of the gate quickly. The first five minutes of each half can make or break you. Playing from ahead is way better than playing from behind.”
Sophomore forward and the team’s rebound leader in the game said “Going out there and dominating early in the game was important because as time went on, we got tired. It was good to have a cushion when it got to the point that we were exhausted.”
Also, on how this game affected the team’s confidence going on Wallen said “I wouldn’t say we gained a lot of confidence going into the tournament from this game because we have beat this team twice previously, but it definitely was a good start to hopefully a successful week. We had a great first round of tournament play tonight and we are eager to get after it this weekend.”
Coach Jones says, “At this time of year, you just have to win. Your confidence is already established at this point. That is what the previous 30 games are for. In the tournament, surviving is all that matters.”
The Loggers won their final game of the season that will take place in Springfield, their tournament run will continue on Saturday in East Peoria as they try to win Region 24 and advance to Nationals.