By T. Scott Boatright
The Lincoln Prep boys basketball team remained undefeated in District 1-1A play Monday night as the Panthers overcame a sluggish start and built a big halftime advantage en route to a 57-31 home win over Haynesville.
Lincoln Prep led by only one point at the end of the first quarter before roading to life in the second stanza, outscoring the Golden Tornado 57-31 to push its lead to 35-19 at the half.
“That’s a tendency we tend to have,” said Panthers coach Antonio Hudson. “And that’s something we’ve got to be careful about. We’re still trying to figure out how to play strong from start to finish — all four quarters, all 32 minutes.
“Haynesville is a dangerous team. We could have let that one get away from us. We can’t start playoff games the way we started against them tonight. Not if we want to do well in the playoffs.”
Hudson said he realizes that a week off due to Winter Storm Fern could have been a cause.
“It’s tough to be out for that long,” Hudson said. “It breaks down the momentum you’ve built. Hopefully that way we played in the second quarter and second half got us back on track. But those slow starts are dangerous.”
With the win Lincoln Prep moved to 19-3 overall and 2-0 in District 1-1A, remaining atop Class 1A boys basketball in Louisiana.
Three Panthers scored in double digits, with Trey Spann leading the way with 23 points while adding five rebounds and five steals along with three assets.
Jabari Levington chipped in with 14 points along with a “triple 5” in rebounds, assists and steals while Zion Hicks added 10 points while adding four rebounds, an assist, a steal and a blocked shot.
Kaden Verdon scored four points for the Panthers along with two assists while Josiah Spann chipped in with seven steals and assists while adding four boards.
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Lady Panthers 53, Haynesville 45
Lincoln Prep’s girls picked up a district-opening win as the Lady Panthers defeated the Golden Tornado 53-45 inside the LPS Gym.
As usual, Kayla Ferguson led the Lady Panthers with 26 points while adding eight rebounds, four assists and three steals while London Barnes added 10 points.
Also scoring for the Lady Panthers were Hannah LeBron and Azia Burks with seven points each while Eryn Chatman added three.
“That was probably our best offensive game of the season,” said Lady Panthers coach LaKeia Williams-Brown. “We’re playing better as the season moves on, and that’s good to see.”
