STANFORD — Lincoln County girls’ basketball coach Cassandra McWhorter has lamented in her team’s three opening wins and Friday’s loss at Lafayette that she has yet to see four good quarters of Lady Patriot basketball, starting slow each game.
She had no complaints Monday night.
The Lincoln County Lady Patriots started fast and never looked back in defeating visiting Henry Clay 63-38.
“I was really pleased, especially with the start of the first quarter,” McWhorter said. “I thought we looked more focused at the start of the game than we have any game this season, and the intensity we had. We usually finish games with intensity and we talked about starting games the way we usually finish games. I don’t know what it is with high school kids, but it seems like it’s something that you’re always as a coach saying, ‘Why can’t we start a game the way we’re finishing a game.’ They did it tonight and I’m proud of them.”
Destyne Jackson, who led Henry Clay with 13 points, scored Monday’s opening basket for the Blue Devils’ only lead of the game, 2-0. Henry Clay, which finished 14-for-52 from the field (27 percent), went two full minutes before scoring another point.
Lincoln (4-1) got its scoring started on a run, answering Jackson’s basket with seven straight points. Kaitlynn Wilks, who had a game-high 16 points with nine rebounds, hit inside to start the run, Emma King, who finished with 12 points, went baseline for a bucket and Jenna King nailed a 3-pointer to put Lincoln on top to stay, 7-2.
Jenna King scored eight of her nine total points in the first to help Lincoln to a 19-11 lead. Maddy Boyle also finished with nine points in the win, tallying her first two points in the first quarter off a turnover.
The Lady Patriots led by as many as 12 points in the second quarter. Emma King bombed in a 3-pointer off a Haley Southerland assist for the 32-20 margin with 25.1 seconds left in the half.
Lincoln took a 32-22 lead into the break.
Jackson knocked down two buckets early in the third quarter and Braxton Price drained a 3-pointer to get the Blue Devils within 35-29 only to have the Lady Patriots outscore them 13-0 over the remainer of the period.
Emma King ignited the run with a 3-pointer, Trinity Shearer and Wilks had two buckets apiece and Southerland sank two free throws to make it 48-29.
Shearer, who contributed six points, was one of four Lincoln reserves getting in the scorebook Monday with 15 total points. Southerland and Zaria Napier each got four points and Anna Lane got a free throw toss.
“That’s what we talked about with the depth that we have, is getting more kids in,” McWhorter said. “When somebody’s having an off night, we can go to our bench and somebody else can pick us up. I thought tonight the kids that came in off the bench gave us a lift and maybe pushed us up over that edge a little bit.”
Lincoln led by as many as 26 points in the fourth quarter before moving on for the 63-38 win. 
“Once we got going, I thought our defense started creating our offense a lot and we weren’t allowing them to set up their defense and that really worked well for us,” McWhorter said. “It was a good win.”
McWhorter said the win was especially satisfying after Friday’s disappointing loss at Lafayette.
“That’s why I’m really proud,” she said. “We talked Saturday about bouncing back after the game Friday night and the first loss of the season. It was really nice to come out tonight and start the game like we did. It’s much better to start a game like that and then try to have that consistency throughout rather than starting really slow and having to find a gear and keep it there.”
The Lady Patriots shot 40 percent from the field overall, going 25-for-63, 4-for-16 from 3. They were 9-for-15 at the foul line.
The Blue Devils (1-3) were 3-for-14 from 3 and 7-for-19 at the line.
Lincoln outrebounded Henry Clay 42-31.

at Lincoln Co.
1 2 3 4 F
HC 12 10 7 9 – 38
Lincoln 19 13 16 15 – 63

HENRY CLAY (1-3) – Christian Gatewood 2, Alexis Lutz 3, Destyne Jackson 13, Braxton Price 8, Lexi Long 5, Kiya Thompson 4, Tyronica Carpenter 3.
LINCOLN (4-1) – Emma King 12, Kaitlynn Wilks 16, Maddy Boyle 9, Jenna King 9, Logan Godbey 2, Trinity Shearer 6, Haley Southerland 4, Zaria Napier 4, Anna Lane 1.