By T. Scott Boatright
GRAMBLING — Lincoln Preparatory School shook off a sluggish start Monday night before picking up the pace later in the second quarter as the second-seeded Panthers roared to a 65-34 win over 15th-seeded Covenant Christian in second-round action of the LHSAA’s Select School Div. IV Boys basketball playoffs inside the LPS gym.
In a game that Lincoln Prep led only 6-4 at the end of the opening stanza, the Panthers didn’t start heating up shot-wise until Trey Spann hit his first 3-pointer of the night at the 4:38 mark of the second quarter.
His second 3-pointer 32 seconds later extended the Panthers’ advantage to 14-9 as the Panthers finally started falling into an offensive groove.
Hudson said it was all about getting his team to remember that they use their defense to create their offense.
“(Covenant Christian) had the ball pretty much the first four-and-a-half minutes of the first quarter,” Hudson said. “Their coach called his first timeout and held it about a minute. I think their plan was to try to slow us down and keep the ball out of our hands as much as possible.
“So, for half the quarter they had possession. Our problem was defense. I told the team it’s kind of bamboozling because we had been going at it and doing well in practices on defense. One we started taking over the defensive aspect, forcing them into quick shots and forcing turnovers, and that’s what creates our offense.”
Frediron Payne also hit a key 3-point that extended the Panthers’ lead to 19-9 en route to a 23-13 halftime lead over the Lions.
Covenant Christian came out strong top open the second half, scoring the first seven points of the third quarter to cut Lincoln Prep’s lead to 23-20 before a pair of inside baskets by Devon Burton put the Panthers back on offensive track and they went on to build a 41-26 by the time that stanza ended.
Spann led the Panthers with 28 points, connecting on six 3-pointers with three of those coming in the final stanza, while adding five rebounds, five steals and four assists.
“We all know how he can shoot,” Hudson said about Spann overcoming his slow offensive start. “He came in this afternoon and got some shots up and maybe he did it a little too close to game time. He and two or three other players came in around noon. That’s the kind of kid Trey is and the kind of work he puts in.”
Burton and Zion Hicks both double-doubled, with Burton totaling 11 points and 15 rebounds along with two assists and two steals while Hicks scored 10 and pulled down 10 boards while also notching three assists and a steal.
“Zion rebounded the ball well tonight,” Hudson said. “I was pleasantly pleased with his energy around the rim. He still has to finish around the rim some more offensively, but if he and Devin can dominate the boards and each one of them get 10-12 rebounds a night, it would definitely make a big difference for us in how far we go.”
Jabari Levingston also played a pivotal role off the bench for the Panthers, finishing with nine points, five rebounds, four steals and one assist.
“I’ve said it before — he’s going to be the next big-time player here,” Hudson said of Levingston. “He’s learning, but if he can just stay out of his own way and stop listening to everybody and just focus on doing what he’s capable of doing, he’ll be successful. When he plays within himself, he’s going to be amazing.”
Next up for Lincoln Prep (24-7) will be a home contest against the winner of tonight’s game pitting seventh seed JS Clark Academy against 10th seed Ascension Christian.
