Wilks scores 1,000th point in 82-60 win
Published 1:14 pm Thursday, December 14, 2017
Photos by Nancy Leedy KAITLYNN WILKS of Lincoln, right, scored her 1,000th career point in the win over Lafayette.
STANFORD — For the first time this season, the Lincoln girls did not get off to an explosive start and there was no running clock, but that did not keep the Lady Patriots from notching another big win.
Lincoln improved to 4-0 Friday night behind a come-from-behind victory over visiting Lafayette, rallying from a 12-point deficit to roll past the Lady Generals 82-60.
“We’ve been getting off to a pretty hot start, but it was a little slower start tonight and they jumped on us early and challenged us a little bit,” Lincoln coach Cassandra McWhorter said. “ We didn’t get much out of our press. Once we got back out of it and went to our zone that really slowed them down and we started getting some transition things. I was really proud of the girls for communicating in it.”
Kaitlynn Wilks paced Lincoln in the win with a double-double, burning the nets for a game-high 30 points while grabbing 11 rebounds. It was a milestone night for the junior center, as her final bucket of the night pushed her over the 1,000-point career mark.
“That’s a huge honor and says a lot about the type of kid she is because she turned her ankle yesterday in practice and she didn’t come off the floor tonight,” McWhorter said. “I hope Lafayette didn’t think we were trying to run the score up by keeping her in and pounding it inside. But I really wanted her to be able to get it on her home floor – a special moment in front of the home fans. She works hard and is a leader on our team and I’m glad she was able to reach that milestone tonight.”
Three Lady Pats finished the night in double figures, with Emma King and Maddy Boyle both scoring 19 points. King also had six rebounds and three steals and Boyle had eight assists and four steals.
Terry Abrams scored 10 of her 21 points in the first quarter as Lafayette opened up a 22-10 lead on Lincoln. She would have 19 points in the first half.
“The first half we didn’t do a good job of containing her at all,” said McWhorter. “And that was the scouting report – ‘We had to keep 24 out of the paint, contain her and not let her create for others.’ I think we were so worried about her passing and creating for others that we forgot to cut her off and not let her score. We did a much better job of containing her the second half.”
The Lady Generals (4-2) took a 24-16 lead into the second quarter, but the Lady Patriots surged in the period, outpointing the visitors 29-12 to go on top to stay 40-36. Lincoln trailed 36-35 with less than a minute to go in the first half when Trinity Shearer scored a layup off her own steal then Boyle capped the half with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer.
Lincoln never trailed again, outscoring Lafayette 23-16 in the third and 19-8 in the fourth.
Caroline Bennett, who had 21 points for Lafayette, helped keep the Lady Generals in the game the second half, scoring 14 points in the third and fourth quarters.
“We were able to pull away and do things that we needed to do and things that we saw that we needed to hit, and to just be a little bit more patient,” McWhorter said. “We forced a little early. Shots weren’t falling or we were maybe forcing passes and making turnovers. We settled down the second half and got in a rhythm and played the way we are capable of.”
Lincoln shot 45 percent from the field, going 27-for-60, 6-for-21 from 3, and was 22-for-27 at the foul line.
Lafayette also shot 45 percent from the field, going 23-for-51, 2-for-14 from 3. The Lady Generals were 12-for-16 at the line.
******
at Lincoln
Lafayette 24 12 16 8 – 60
Lincoln 16 24 23 19 – 82
LAFAYETTE (4-2) – Lindi DeBilzan 9, Anaya Brown 1, Caroline Bennett 21, Ryle Grantz 2, Tekiya Garr-Carter 1, Lauren Walton 5, Terri Abram 21.
LINCOLN (4-0) – Emma King 19, Kaitlynn Wilks 30, Maddy Boyle 19, Trinity Shearer 5, Zaria Napier 6, Anna Lane 3.
