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Weather played havoc with local basketball schedules Tuesday, with forecasted snowfall and plummeting temperatures prompting the cancellation of all area games.

Except one.

While the mercury was beginning its downward spiral outside the walls of the Lincoln gym, the Lady Patriots were turning up the heat indoors, burning the visiting Garrard County Lady Lions for a second time this season in a 60-32 45th District rout.

In an effort to get in the district game and avoid the bad weather, Tuesday’s tipoff was moved up to 6 p.m.

Lincoln (18-4, 5-0 district) jumped on Garrard in the first quarter and never looked back. The Lady Patriots held the Lady Lions to just seven points the first half, with Garrard scoreless from the field in the second quarter.

Garrard (15-5, 4-2) made good on just 1 of 17 field goal attempts the first two periods while committing 14 turnovers.

“I thought our defense played well,” said Lincoln coach Don Story. “We tried to mix it up again some, and I felt like we played pretty good.”

But he said it wasn’t a perfect defense.

“It seemed like we were a little anxious at times and didn’t play very good defense,” said Story. “We slapped a little bit too much and things. But I guess you can’t be too disappointed with seven points at halftime for the other team.”

Jessica Upchurch, who had 10 points in the Lady Pat win, scored the nights first two goals to give Lincoln a 4-0 edge.

Haley Meadows got Garrard on the scoreboard a minute and a half into the game with the Lady Lions’ lone goal of the half, a 3-pointer.

Kelly Smith did sink two foul shots for Garrard late in the period during a 9-2 Lincoln run. Upchurch was good for a basket and two free throws in the run, Shelby Smith scored on a putback and Emily Fox drained a trey to make it 13-5 after one.

Devin Napier scored Garrard’s remaining two points of the half as the second quarter opened, sinking two foul shots. The Lady Lions were 0-for-10 from the field in the frame.

“They’re typically going to make more shots than that because they’re a good shooting team,” Story said of Garrard. “It was probably a little bit us and a little bit them.”

Lincoln, which was 23-for-50 from the field overall, stumbled in its shooting game late in the first quarter and into the second. The Lady Patriots missed their final three shot attempts in the first and went without a goal until the 4:03 mark of the second period.

Korey Coleman bombed in a 3-pointer to end the drought and set Lincoln off on a 12-0 run. Kendra Brown followed with a bucket inside, Bustle hit with a triple, Sydney Harris scored off a Fox steal and Fox closed with two foul shots to extend Lincoln’s lead to 25-7 at the half.

“We hit a big stretch there, six or so minutes, where we didn’t get much. When Jess (Upchurch) went out (foul trouble) it took us a little while to get adjusted to that,” said Story.

The Lady Lions started to warm up to the game in the second half, coming out in the third and scoring more points (8) in the first five and a half minutes than they did the entire first half. Smith and Devin Conley each scored a basket for Garrard and Leslie Newsome, who led her team with nine points, nailed a trey and added a free throw toss.

Meanwhile, Lincoln was continuing to rack up the points. Smith, who contributed 12 points in the win, scored six points in a 16-8 scoring surge. Smith got a triple and a foul shot before going coast-to-coast off a steal to push the Lady Pat lead to 41-15 with 2:51 left in the third.

“Shelby played another great game for us, made some big shots, especially the second quarter and second half when we needed it,” Story said.

Bustle, who also had 12 points, and Fox both hit from 3-point land in the run, and Brown was good for two points.

Lincoln took a 43-19 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Lady Lions went on their own run in the final frame to take the Lady Pat lead under 20 points. Newsome scored five points in the 13-4 run, Conley converted on a three-point play, Napier scored a basket and Meadows sank three free throws to get Garrard within 47-32.

“I think they got mad at halftime because they came out and gave us a very good effort the second half,” Story said.

Having watched Garrard in other games, the Lincoln mentor says he’s always leery of what the Lady Lions can do.

“Garrard’s a good team. I’ve seen them play some games where they looked really good. I think they were up 30 against Lafayette. And Lafayette’s a good team,” he said.

“They’ve got some nights where they can really play. I get worried about that because I know it can happen. I just want to make sure our girls are ready.”

Lincoln slammed the door on any possible Garrard comeback by closing the game on a 10-0 run.

Overall, Garrard was 10 of 42 from the field and 9-for-16 at the foul line.

Story credited Fox for some “very good minutes” in Tuesday’s win. The freshman guard scored nine points and led Lincoln in a 35-18 win on the boards with nine rebounds.

Coleman had eight boards for the Lady Pats and Brown and Upchurch each had six.

Lincoln had 14 assists and 14 steals.

Note: Lincoln was playing without Alissa Patterson Tuesday. The senior guard injured her right elbow at Mercer County Friday.

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