Edwards’ late putback lifts Lincoln over Everett in 3A state tournament opening round
Clinging to a one-point lead late in the fourth quarter of its opening-round game at the Tacoma Dome against Everett on Wednesday afternoon, a Lincoln free throw came off the rim and fell into the waiting hands of 6-foot-3 freshman Oliviyah Edwards. She put it back and converted the free throw after being fouled, for a three-point play, putting the game out of reach.
Lincoln won, 45-43, to advance to Thursday’s quarterfinal round.
“I just was thinking that none of the girls could stop me on the other team,” Edwards said. “I could just get the ball and put it back up, that was my only mindset. I was just thinking it’ll give us two points and I had a feeling I was gonna get the and-1, so I just put my mind to it and did it.”
Lincoln coach Jamila Jones was able to exhale after his freshman iced the game.
“It was huge,” Jones said. “Like I told her, ‘Way to be a closer.’ Today, she closed.”
It’s Lincoln’s first win in the Tacoma Dome since 2017. No players on Lincoln’s current roster have ever won a game in the Dome, as evidenced by the excitement of the postgame dogpile that took place at center court.
“I haven’t won down here in a minute and they haven’t won down here at all,” Jones said. “I was like, ‘You guys is right, let’s enjoy it.’ It’s good to get it out of the way, get the nerves out the way.”
Abes’ junior guard Jaleigha Robinson sparked the Abes in the second half, knocking down some big shots. She finished with a team-high 13 points and converted 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. Robinson said it felt good to have a good shooting day since she’s been in a slump recently.
“It’s been getting into my head lately, but I’ve been working outside of practice with friends and family. It felt really good.”
Even when she isn’t shooting well, Robinson is a difference maker on defense. Watching her round into form in the Dome was a bonus for Jones.
“We ask her to do a lot,” he said. “She’s our energizer bunny. She’s going to defend 94 feet. It was good to see her shoot it. She hasn’t shot it well recently and she’s been down on herself. It was good to see get her mind going and shoot the ball and shoot it well.”
Everett’s Alana Washington scored a game-high 17 points. The Seagulls were hampered by poor outside shooting, going 0-for-12 from 3-point range. Lincoln, meanwhile, made 5-of-12 from beyond the arc.
“I didn’t expect them to hit as many threes as they did tonight,” said Everett coach Darrell McNeal. “They really shot the ball well and we didn’t. … You’ve gotta be able to hit a few of them just to make the game more interesting.”
Edwards added nine points for the Abes and pulled down 20 rebounds. Guard Malani Warren chipped in eight. Lincoln will face No. 3 Lake Washington in Thursday’s quarterfinal round. Tipoff is set for 12:15 p.m.
This story was originally published March 1, 2023 at 2:54 PM.
