Advertisement

sportsHigh School Sports

Girls 4A, Region II: Defense carries Lincoln to state

Nine second-half steals key a powerful push to another convincing win

GARLAND — Lincoln is headed to Austin after defeating West Mesquite, 56-43, in the Class 4A Region II girls basketball final Saturday, its latest convincing win in a season full of them.

West Mesquite pulled within one possession in the final minute of the second quarter and the first minute of the third, but Lincoln responded both times to win going away.

Advertisement

“All I could think about is at the beginning of the year, when the polls came out, they didn’t even have us ranked,” Lincoln coach Michael Ensley said. “They were just determined to prove everybody wrong and [prove] Lincoln has a good girls basketball program.”

High School Sports

The latest news, analysis, predictions and more for each season.

Or with:

The victory left Lincoln’s average playoff victory margin at 26 points. All but two of Lincoln’s wins this season have been by 10 or more.

The latest came thanks largely to BreAnna Hayden and Jade Colbert, who both scored in double figures in the second half.

Advertisement

West Mesquite lost starting guard Jasmine Dumas, who scored 14 points in Friday’s win against Frisco Wakeland, to a left leg injury one minute into the game.

The lone bright spot for either team in a sloppy first half was Lincoln’s Cameasha Turner, who made four 3-pointers, including one at the buzzer that stretched Lincoln’s lead to five at halftime.

“I was just like, let it go,” Turner said of the 3s. “They put their hands down, so I shot.”

Advertisement

Lincoln turned up its defense in the second half, recording nine of their 17 steals after halftime.

“If we defend you, we can beat you,” Hayden said. “That’s the Lincoln way.”