Lincoln rallies in second half, but Union hands Abes first loss of the season

Mykel Campbell threw down a dunk midway through the third quarter as part of a 23-2 run that gave Lincoln High School the lead late in the second half. Jayden Simon recorded a double double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. And, the Abes overcame a deficit that reached as many 16 points.

But, it wasn’t quite enough to silence a gritty Union team Thursday night in Tacoma. The undefeated Titans took the lead back late in the fourth, on one of Ethan Smith’s four 3-pointers, and held on to hand the Abes their first loss of the season, 60-54, at Bellarmine Prep’s holiday classic.

“Union is a great team,” first-year Lincoln coach Ryan Rogers said. “That’s what we wanted in our schedule — to face these good teams, and see where we’re at. We like where we’re at, and want to keep getting better.”

The Titans (10-0) shot 58.3 percent from the floor in the opening half to jump out to a 35-21 lead by the break. Smith, who led all scorers with 21 points, scored 13 of those in the first two quarters.

Meanwhile, the Abes struggled to connect, making just nine of their 24 attempts (37.5 percent) in the opening half, and turning the ball over nine times.

Rogers said encouraging his players to play Lincoln’s tough, scrappy brand of basketball is what ignited the Abes’ second-half comeback.

“I think we were a little nervous at the start, and didn’t come out like we usually come out,” Rogers said. “We told the guys, ‘Be you, and let’s come out here and lock people up.’ We talked about one stop, and score. ... We have to build these stops to get back in the game. There’s no 14-point basket.”

The Abes (7-1) inched back into the game during the first three minutes of the third quarter, scoring on a Campbell basket and a pair of Jayden Simon free throws, while causing three consecutive Union turnovers.

Then, a pair of consecutive baskets from Julien Simon, who finished with 11 points, and Campbell’s dunk cut Union’s lead to 37-31 with 3:29 remaining in the third. The Titans scored their only points of the quarter on Tanner Toolson’s basket — he chipped in 15 points — on the following possession.

Lincoln scored twice more before the third quarter expired, outscoring the Titans, 15-2, to cut the lead to a single point, and forced 12 Titans turnovers in the second half.

Chris Whitford knocked down a long jumper in the first minute of the final period to give Lincoln its first lead in nearly 23 minutes.

But, the Titans wouldn’t fold. Smith nailed a 3-pointer with 3:23 to go to give Union the final lead, and hit another on the next possession. Smith scored his nine second-half points in less than a three-minute span in the fourth quarter to help hold the Abes off.

And, Union sunk nine of 10 free throw attempts in the final two minutes, while limiting the Abes to five points at the other end, to seal the game.

“They executed better than we did,” Rogers said. “I don’t know if we got a little bit tired or what, but we had some lapses on defense. Ethan is a great player, and had an open look and put it down. That’s what good players do. They executed their free throws down the stretch, and we just didn’t execute.”

Kelso 53, Bellarmine Prep 39: Seattle Pacific signee Shaw Anderson scored a game-high 26 points to lead the Hilanders (8-1) to a win in the first leg of the Lions’ holiday tournament.

Kelso shot 45.8 percent from the floor, and built an early lead in the first quarter it never lost. The Hilanders carried a 30-21 advantage into the half.

Charles Elzie came off of the bench to score a team-high 16 points for the Lions (1-8), including four 3-pointers.

Bellarmine and Lincoln swap opponents for Friday’s finale. Lincoln plays Kelso at 5:30 p.m., and the Lions play Union at 7 p.m.

TEAM STATISTICS

U – Shooting: 19 of 37 (51.4 percent). Free throws: 15 of 19 (78.9). Turnovers: 18.

L – Shooting: 21 of 51 (41.2 percent). Free throws: 10 of 17 (58.8). Turnovers: 16.

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

U – Brad Lackey 9, Houston Combs 4, Ariya Briscoe 3, Josh Reznick 2, Tanner Toolson 15, Ethan Smith 21, Curtis Youngren 6.

L – Kashaud Babbs 9, Mykel Campbell 5, Earnest Yearby 7, Armoni Bashay 2, Chis Whitford 5, Julien Simon 11, Jayden Simon 15.

TEAM STATISTICS

K – Shooting: 22 of 48 (45.8 percent). Free throws: 7 of 15 (46.7).

BP – Shooting: 15 of 38 (39.5 percent). Free throws: 3 of 9 (33.3).

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

K – Riley Noah 7, Jayden Hardeman 6, Drew Tack 9, Wyatt Brown 5, Shaw Anderson 26.

BP – Derrion Summers 2, Charles Elzie 16, Tommy Hanly 8, Nic Ferencko 3, Sean Smith 5, Reese Lawrence 2, Wendell Davis 2, Luke Meines 1.

This story was originally published December 27, 2018 at 9:04 PM.