Lincoln County’s run through the KBA 6th Grade Middle School Kentucky State Tournament came to an early end, with the Eagles eliminated in the Sweet 16 round Sunday in Lexington.

Lincoln, which is coached by Steve Ralston, split with West Jessamine Middle and St. Pius Middle in pool play and scored double-digit victories over Rowan County and Corbin in the first two rounds of the 64-team tourney, but Meyzeek Middle School out of Louisville would be the Eagles’ downfall.

Results of the games follow:

Pool Game #1
Lincoln 50, West Jess. 28

Lincoln outscored West Jessamine 31-12 in the second half to set itself up for a 50-28 win in Pool Play Game #1 Friday.

Blade Nuckols paced Lincoln in the win with 18 points. A trio of Eagles hit double digits in the game, with Seth Horton and Sawyer Horton both scoring 12 points. Seth also grabbed eight rebounds and Sawyer, seven.

The Eagles led 11-10 after the first quarter and showed a 19-16 edge at the half. But it was in the third quarter where Lincoln opened up the game, outscoring West 14-5 to take a 33-21 lead into the final frame.

West never threatened in the fourth quarter as Lincoln closed on a 17-7 run.

Jacob Moore contributed four points for Lincoln and Elan Lane and Landon Day each had two points. Connor Davis had four assists and six steals.

Pool Game #2
St. Pius 42, Lincoln 19

St. Pius Middle School got the best of Lincoln in Pool Play Game #2 of the state tournament, outscoring the Eagles 31-10 in the first and third quarters en route to a 42-19 rout.

St. Pius opened on a 13-6 run and took a 21-13 lead into the break. The team had its highest offensive production in the third quarter, using an 18-4 surge to open up a 39-17 lead before moving on for the win.

Blade Nuckols was Lincoln’s scoring leader with six points, Connor Davis had five points and Sawyer Horton and Elan Lane had four points apiece.

1st Round Tournament
Lincoln 28, Rowan 16

Lincoln emerged as the victor in a low-scoring opening round game Saturday morning, topping Rowan County Middle 28-16.

Play was tight in the first half, with Lincoln up 7-4 after the first quarter and holding to a 15-14 lead at the half.  

The Lincoln defense shut down Rowan in the third quarter, though, holding its opponent scoreless. Meanwhile, the Eagles knocked down seven points to take a 22-14 lead into the final period where they moved on for the win.

Sawyer Horton finished with 11 points, nine rebounds and four steals in the win. Elan Lane followed with six points, Connor Davis had five points and five steals, Jacob Moore got four points and Seth Horton got two.

Round of 32
Lincoln 56, Corbin 43

Blade Nuckols, Seth Horton and Sawyer Horton combined for 43 points to help lead Lincoln to a 56-43 win over Corbin in the round of 32.

Nuckols had the team high of 15 points and the Hortons each had 14 points. Sawyer also had seven assists.

Double-digit scoring was key in the Lincoln win, with the Eagles putting up double digits in every quarter. Lincoln opened on a 16-11 run and used a 20-7 second-quarter run to push its lead to 36-18 at the half. The Eagles went 10-7 in the third to take a 46-25 lead into the fourth quarter.

Corbin did outpoint Lincoln in the fourth, but the 18-10 scoring edge was not enough to ovecome Lincoln’s early lead.

Also scoring for Lincoln were Connor Davis with eight points, Jacob Moore with three points and Elan Lane with two points, seven rebounds and four assists.

Sweet 16 Round
Meyzeek 50, Lincoln 37

Lincoln’s run through the KBA 6th Grade Middle School Kentucky State Tournament reached its end Sunday as Meyzeek Middle School of Louisville ousted the Eagles with a 50-37 win.

Meyzeek outscored Lincoln in three of the four quarters played, holding the Eagles to single digits in the first and second periods. Meyzeek led 12-8 after one and was up 28-17 at the break.

The teams were deadlocked at 10 points apiece in the third then Meyzeek held a 12-10 edge in the fourth to secure the double-digit win.  

Lincoln’s scoring leader was Seth Horton with 14 points. Sawyer Horton contributed eight points and had five rebounds, Connor Davis finished with seven points and three assists, Blade Nuckols and Elan Lane each had three points and Jacob Moore had two.