Gregorys lead Crestview past Lincolnview

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports editor

Lincolnview trailed by just one after two quarters, 22-21, but Crestview held the Lady Lancers to 13 second half points in a 49-34 win on Thursday.

It was the seventh consecutive victory for the Lady Knights (11-5, 4-2 NWC), while Lincolnview fell to 6-13 (0-6 NWC).

Armed with a 27-24 lead midway through the third quarter, Crestview’s Bailey Gregory drained a triple, Reagan Hammons connected on a foul shot and hit a bucket to increase the advantage to 33-25, while Lincolnview’s only remaining point came on a free throw by Annie Mendenhall.

The floodgates opened in the fourth quarter when Bailey and Lexi Gregory combined for 14 of Crestview’s 16 points, with Hammons scoring the other two. Meanwhile, Brianna Ebel hit a pair of three pointers and Lakin Brant connected on a basket and a foul shot to account for all of Lincolnview’s scoring in the quarter. Bailey Gregory led all scorers with 19 points while Lexi Gregory had 17.

“I’m really proud of our effort in the second half,” Crestview head coach Mark Gregory said. “Sometimes in a game like this there are a lot of emotions and I think our guys came out and were a little emotional early.”

“Defensively I thought we did a lot of good things in the third and fourth quarters and we got some easy looks down the floor. Us pushing the ball the entire game, I think it took its toll a little bit toward the end of the game too.”

“We were able to get good shots for the most part, but we couldn’t find a way to make some of those shots and that would definitely changed how the game went going into the fourth quarter,” Lincolnview head coach Dan Williamson said. “I was happy with the way our defense played for the most part, and Crestview has three really good guards that made a lot of plays for them at critical times.”

A bucket by Lincolnview’s Adia Welch trimmed Crestview’s lead to 10-9 late in the first quarter, but baskets by Olivia Cunningham and Bailey Gregory put the Lady Knights up 14-9 at the end of the period.

Lauryn Black’s basket gave Crestview a 19-13 lead with 4:50 left in the second quarter, but a foul shot by Mendenhall and a bucket by Sierra Adams pulled the Lady Lancers to within two, 19-17 with 3:27 left in the period.

Bailey Gregory hit a triple off a steal to make it 22-17, but Lincolnview fought back with a basket by Brant and a buzzer beater by Ebel to close the gap to one.

“Lincolnview played their hearts out and Dan’s done a great job,” Gregory said of the Lady Lancers.

Ebel led the Lady Lancers with 11 points, including three triples, while Brant finished with eight points and eight points.

“Lakin had a really good game for us, which we have come to expect from her,” Williamson said. She is one of our leaders on and off the floor and she does a good job of being a reliable player for us. She did a great job defensively guarding two or three different players at one point or another.”

Crestview will host Celina on Tuesday and Lincolnview will travel to Ada on Thursday.

Scoring summary

Lincolnview 9 12 4 9 – 34
Crestview 14 8 12 15 – 49

Lincolnview: Brianna Ebel 4-0-11; Kendall Bollenbacher 1-1-3; Adia Welch 2-0-4; Sierra Adams 1-1-3; Lakin Brant 4-0-8; Annie Mendenhall 2-1-5

Crestview: Bailey Gregory 8-0-19; Lauryn Black 2-0-4; Lexi Gregory 8-0-17; Reagan Hammons 2-1-5; Olivia Cunningham 2-0-4

JV: Lincolnview 27-11