Kristol Ayson scores 35 points as Lincoln tops Wilson in crosstown rivalry meeting
In a game with rivalry bragging rights on the line, Lincoln High School girls basketball coach Jamila Jones wanted his team to come out with intensity.
And for 32 straight minutes, they delivered.
The Abes, hosting Wilson in an annual crosstown rivalry game Friday night in Tacoma, jumped out to an early first-quarter lead and never looked back, cruising to a 85-46 win.
“We just wanted to be consistent,” Jones said. “We talk about being consistent. We’re playing for 32 minutes and (trying not to) have a letdown. So, that’s where we were today. Can we be consistent? Can we push through when we’ve got a lead? And I think they did that.”
Lincoln (4-0) showed intensity from the opening seconds to the final buzzer and was relentless on both ends of the floor. The Abes drove to the rim and drew fouls on offense. They forced turnovers and consistently outplayed the Rams on the fast break. When Wilson had the ball, the Abes never allowed an easy bucket, and forced the Rams to earn many of their points from the free throw line.
Shortly into the second half, Lincoln’s bench erupted in “defense” chants that echoed throughout the gym. The home crowd joined in.
“We’re just trying to grow,” Jones said. “At the end of the day, we want to be a team. It’s a COVID (season), and so everything is strange, but we got to play, so we don’t get to take a year off. I just wanted to see us go compete.”
Lincoln senior Kristol Ayson led the Abes with 35 points and played a pivotal role in the win. She scored seven of the team’s first 10 points as Lincoln built an early and decisive lead.
“I was just coming out with intensity,” Ayson said. “I knew what I wanted to do.”
The Rams (2-2) were led by senior Joclyen Wyatt, who checked in with 24 points in the loss. Lincoln’s consistent pressure was the key for maintaining momentum and helped stop Wyatt from having an even bigger night.
“We (wanted) to apply pressure and see if we could sustain it,” Jones said. “They have a really good team. They’re led by one of the best guards in the state, and we wanted to see tonight if we could handle the pressure. (Wyatt) was going to put pressure on us. Pressure busts pipes but it builds diamonds. Tonight, we played like diamonds.”
The Abes were relentless on the floor, but they were balanced, too — nine of Lincoln’s players scored in the contest, and of those nine, four scored at least seven points.
“I feel like we’re coming together as a team and pushing through,” Ayson said. “We really wanted this, and we really wanted to pull this out. ... Going forward, now we know what we’re capable of, because they’re a good team, but we’re better. We know how to do it.”
This story was originally published May 22, 2021 at 12:15 AM.