Despite a victory in No. 1-ranked Lincoln’s previous game, coach Aubrey Shelton was not pleased with his team’s defense.
He was a bit happier with his team after the Abes blitzed Mount Tahoma on the road Wednesday night, 84-66.
“We were better. A lot of the shots Mount Tahoma was making were tough, contested jumpers off the dribble,” Shelton said. “That’s what we want to give up, and they were knocking them down.”
Lincoln (12-1 overall, 6-0 Narrows 3A) finished the first half of Narrows League play in first place, one game ahead of Foss. The Abes have won seven games in a row.
Junior guard Ahmaad Rorie led the way Wednesday. The California commit scored 26 points, scoring many of them on perimeter jumpers – including 4-for-7 accuracy from 3-point range.
“He’s shooting 55 percent from 3(-point range),” said Shelton. “I don’t know if I’ve ever been on a team or coached a team where a guy shot that well. Usually you shoot 40 percent and that’s really good. I’m surprised when he misses.”
After Mount Tahoma closed the gap to seven points late in the third quarter, Rorie knocked down a 3 and hit a driving lay-in during a 10-0 Lincoln spurt.
Senior Tre’Shaun Fletcher capped the run with a 3-pointer from the top of the arc, giving Lincoln a 65-48 advantage. Fletcher had another double-double, scoring 21 points while grabbing 11 rebounds.
Lincoln also got a strong game from senior Latravion Satterwhite, who scored 11 points and provided some toughness on defense.
The message about improving defense has sunk in with the leading scorers.
“We still have to get better on the defensive end,” Rorie said. “If we play defense, we’ll be the number one team in the state.”
Mount Tahoma (9-4, 3-3) has a big showdown with Foss on Friday.
Sophomore guard Haywood Irwin was an offensive force for the T-Birds, scoring 25 points on an array of jumpers from all over the floor.
Senior forward Brian Neal added 17 points for Mount Tahoma.
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