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Lincoln Prep hold on despite late collapse; hand King’s Christian Collegiate first loss of the season

By Jahnick Lambert, 01/11/17, 8:15PM EST

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HAMILTON, ON - It’s a new year but the OSBA is back after the winter break to offer the same great basketball the fans have come to expect. The 2nd half of the season started with a double-header showcase of Lincoln Prep and King’s Christian boys and girls teams. The girls were the first to play in the afternoon and Lincoln Prep would be hosting a King’s Christian team who came into the game as the last undefeated team in the girls division.

After losing their last 2 games before the break, Lincoln Prep looked to get back to their winning ways and it was made clear by their aggressive play right from the jump. Lincoln’s lead guard Hanna Hall once again lead her team by dishing it out to open teammates all over the floor and contributed to scoring when necessary. While Lincoln scored most of their points inside the paint, King’s Christian found themselves having trouble getting the ball down low and were forced to settle for 3 pointers which visibly limited their options. Luckily for King’s Christian, their guard Mide Oriyomi provided a spark late in the quarter to cut the deficit late in the frame.

 

Going into the 2nd quarter up 21-13, Lincoln were confident in their play and continued to cause trouble for the opposition. Their fast paced offence allowed them to consistently capitalize on quick transition baskets and they zipped the ball around on set plays to keep King’s Christian off balance.  Along with Hanna Hall, the emergence of Aiden Rainford in the 2nd made an outstanding tag team which would last through most of the game. Because of the absence of King’s Christian’s Christina Morra the Lincoln defense could focus all of their attention on Laeticia Amihere which continued to force the King’s offence out side the arc.

 

Following a much-needed break for the King’s Christian team, they got a chance to regroup and regain composure. They came out aggressive and despite the defensive pressure they opted to attack the basket in order to cut into the 34-22 deficit. Their new offensive philosophy gave new life to the team and they doubled their point total for the game in a single quarter. They still struggled to limit Hanna hall and the Lincoln offense but their aggression began to cause foul trouble for key players as they got to the free throw line. Momentum looked to be swinging to their side but unfortunately for the King’s players, Lincoln’s Alaina McMillian beat the buzzer and gave them a 58-44 lead heading into the final frame.

 

Despite trailing the entire game, King’s Christian used a small jump right back into contention. Early in the quarter it looked like King's would seize control but Lincoln quickly responded to every King’s basket on their end. Once King’s guard Lauren Boers stepped on the floor the outlook of the game completely changed. Boers took over and hit 4 3-pointers (3 of them coming consecutively) in the final few minutes to bring her team within range. Despite her remarkable effort, it would be Hanna Hall that would put the game on ice with a few clutch free throws.

 

This win marks the first victory of 2017 for Lincoln Prep and they’ll be happy to escape with the outcome despite the late game collapse. Now back in the win column, they will prepare to avenge a previous loss against Durham Elite on January 18th (tip-off at 5pm). The loss is the first of the season for King’s Christian and they’ve now lost their position as the sole team in the top spot (now tied for 1st place with Durham Elite).