By T. Scott Boatright
Big wins aren’t always a thing of beauty, but the “W” always counts.
That’s the way Lincoln Preparatory School basketball coach Antonio Hudson summed up his team’s victory Friday night after the Panthers rolled past Cedar Creek 54-37 in a District 2-1A showdown at the LPS Gym.
Lincoln Prep (10-7, 2-0) didn’t gain its first lead until Trey Spann hit a 3-pointer at the 3:21 mark of the opening stanza that put the Panthers on top 11-10.
Those were the first points of an 8-0 run to close out the first quarter that gave the Panthers a 17-10 advantage.
The Panthers’ press forced numerous turnovers in the second quarter as Lincoln Prep outscored the Cougars 14-7 in the period to take a 31-17 lead into the locker room at halftime.
But the Panthers came out cold to start the second half, with Cedar Creek (11-8, 1-1) pulling within nine points at 33-24 on a Brett Bell 3-pointer at the 5:00 mark of the third quarter.
By the end of the stanza, Lincoln Prep only led 41-29, something that Hudson admittedly found frustrating after the strong second quarter.
“I don’t know if it’s because we’re young or what,” Hudson said. “I guess as coaches we’ve got to do a better job of stressing the importance of executing.
“What happens is that when we go to the stall, we get away from executing. When we run our normal offense, we get the looks we want. When you see us stall, as head coach I’ve got to do a better job of stressing the importance of time and score of the game and the importance of executing when you have to execute.”
Hudson was especially disappointed in the start of the second half when the Cougars went on a 7-2 run to cut the Lincoln Prep lead down to nine.
“We went into halftime up by 14 and the first three possessions we did nothing and suddenly it was a single-digit lead,” Hudson said. “We’re up double digits and we come out with the ball and get nothing on the first three offensive possessions and give up a layup and a foul and then it was a single-digit game.
“We actually felt like we could press them a little more. In the first half we got them going pretty good. Maybe they got a little fatigued toward the end. They handled the pressure pretty well at times, and they also made big shots.”
Cedar Creek sophomore Jake Doan led the Cougars with 13 points and caught Hudson’s attention with his play.
“He and (Bell) are just (underclassmen)? Those guys are going to be pretty good,” Hudson said. “I’m not looking forward to staying in the same district with them with the changes coming next season.”
Lincoln Prep outscored the Cougars 13-8 in the fourth quarter, with Zion Hicks scoring the final four points for the Panthers on a reverse layup and another layup off a steal.
While not exactly pleased with his team’s overall play, Hudson was still pleased to see his Panthers earn the win and move to 10-7 overall and 2-0 in district play.
“It’s always good to go 2-0 in district, especially with the power rankings,” Hudson said. “I can see that race getting real tight for that four, five and six slot. You want to be the highest seeds in the playoffs so you can get a homecourt advantage, so to start 2-0 in the district is a blessing.”
Stephen Burks III led the Panthers with 20 points and adding nine rebounds, five steals and three assists while Devin Burton and Trumarion Smith chipped in with 10 points each, with Burton pulling down eight boards..
Now Lincoln Prep turns its attention to the Arcadia Hornets, who the Panthers will play host to Saturday night.
“That’s a big one just because it’s Arcadia, and they’ve been playing well,” Hudson said. “I saw film and they were actually leading Ruston at points in that recent game. And they upset Ringgold (Thursday) night, too, so they’ve been playing well and it will be a challenge. They’re bigger, they’re more physical, so we just have to make sure that we execute.”
