Roundup : Lincoln’s High-Powered Offense Leaves Crawford Behind

When it came time to shut down Crawford High School’s outside shooting, Lincoln’s defense had little to do with it.

It was Lincoln’s offense that deserved the credit for quieting host Crawford and Lamont Grove, the county’s leading scorer, in a 100-81 victory in a City Central League game Friday night.

Lincoln’s speedy offense and deep bench had Crawford’s starting five gasping for breath throughout the second half.

The teams exchanged the lead nine times in the final three minutes of the first period. Lincoln (19-2, 7-0 in the Central League) eventually took a 42-39 lead into the half.

Crawford (11-8, 5-2) was too taxed to come back, and Lincoln expanded its league lead to two games.

Lincoln opened the second half with a 10-3 run and was never threatened. Grove, who finished with a game-high 39 points and is considered one of the top three-point shooters in the county, was 0-6 from the bonus area in the period.

“You can shoot three-pointers when you are fresh,” said Ron Loneski, Lincoln coach. “But when you are shooting from 19 and 20 feet when you are tired, the ball just doesn’t go in as often.”

Crawford can attest to that. The Colts shot a dismal 24% (3 of 13) from the field in the third period, in which it was outscored, 32-14.

“We got fired up in the second half,” said Lincoln’s Aaron Wilhite, who scored 23 points. “They were worn out, and we got better. We just don’t get tired.”

A big reason for that is the seven players Loneski revolves for each game. Crawford stuck with its starting five for most of the night.

“We thought of this as the league championship,” Wilhite said. “We needed this game to win league because we don’t expect to lose to anybody.”