By: Bill Bray
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
BOWLING GREEN — The #4 seed Fayette Eagles started Regional play facing the #1 seed Lincolnview Lancers and fell short on their upset bid 36-29.
Neither team could get on track through the first half as Lincolnview connected on 7 of 21 shots from the field. Unfortunately for the Eagles, they were just as cold shooting hitting on 5 of 18 shots. Lincolnview held a 12-7 lead after the first quarter. Fayette closed the Lancers lead to 8-7 on a three pointer by Alec Bost. Bost kept the Eagles in the game early as he answered two 3-point shots by Lincolnview’s Hayden Lugwig over the first three minutes of the game.
The teams continued to struggle offensively in the second quarter. Jared Seiler scored the first basket of the quarter to cut the Lancer lead to 12-9. But over the next three minutes Lincolnview broke to a 18-9 lead. With 3:35 remaining Tristan Bates cracked the run with a short jumper. Fayette got the last basket of the half from Joel Smith and the lack of offense was evident as the two teams went to the locker rooms with Lincolnview holding a 18-13 advantage.
The shooting woes continued for the teams in the third quarter. The Eagles hit on 1 of 7 shots for 14% from the field. The Lancers, after finishing 22% from the field in the second quarter, improved slightly to 33% during the third as they outscored Fayette 9-4. Ludwig gave the Lancers their largest lead 27-15 with a basket ‘and one’ at the 5:39 mark. Smith, a little later, was fouled by Ludwig and made his two foul shots as the lead was 27-17 with 1:29 left. There was no more scoring over the last 1:29 of the quarter.
It was not until the 5:46 mark of the fourth that Fayette got their next bucket from Smith. He was fouled but failed on the ‘and one’ to make the Lincolnview lead 28-19.
A basket by Austin Leeth increased the Lancers lead to 30-19 with 2:36 left. The Fayette dry spell finally ended when Bates got a nice feed from Smith to make it a 30-21 game with 1:57 remaining. The lead was again 11 points at 32-21 after two made foul shots by Trevor Neate. Bost connect for one more 3-pointer to close it to an eight point advantage 32-24. But over the last minute Lincolnview sank four foul shots as their lead grew again to 36-26. Bost scored a consolation 3-pointer as the game ended.
The Eagles closed out the 2015-16 season with a 24-2 record. Their only regular season loss came on January 30 with a 36-35 overtime loss to Liberty Center.
Congratulations to coach Todd Mitchell and his staff and players with a season that will long be remembered by the rural community of Fayette.
Bill Bray may be reached at
publisher@thevillagereporter.com