Patriots escape with double overtime win at Somerset

Published 10:30 am Friday, December 7, 2018

Elijah Frye scored a field goal late in a second overtime to edge Lincoln ahead of host Somerset then Blake Smith sank two free throws with eight ticks on the clock to help the Patriots to a 62-59 win at the Briar Patch in Somerset Saturday.

Frye and Smith were just two of a trio of Patriots hitting double figures in the road win. Frye scored 14 points on 6-for-14 shooting. He also had seven rebounds. Blake led the team scoring with 18 points on 4-for-9 shooting. He went 8-for-10 at the foul line. Jaxon Smith rounded out the trio with 12 points, going 3-for-5 from 3-point range.

Lincoln (2-1) was coming off a 59-48 win at Rockcastle County on Friday.

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The Patriots led by as many as 8 points in the game, but also trailed by as many as 6. There were 12 lead changes in the 12th Region contest and eight ties.

Lincoln trailed 12-10 after the first period then used a 14-9 second quarter to nose ahead 24-21 at the half.

Somerset (1-1) trailed 37-29 with 2:37 left in the third quarter when the team broke on the game’s longest scoring streak, 13-0. Chase Walker opened the run with a 3-pointer, one of three in the scoring surge. Kade Grundy, who had a game-high 19 points on 7-for-16 shooting, and Dylan Burton, who finished with 14 points, also hit 3-pointers, with Burton’s triple giving the Briar Jumpers a 42-37 lead.

Lincoln posted its biggest scoring streak in the fourth, going on a 7-0 run. Blake Smith had all seven points, sinking four straight free throws then finishing with a 3-pointer to edge Lincoln on top 49-47 with 57 seconds left in regulation.

However, Grundy sank two free throws late for Somerset to deadlock the game and force overtime.

Jaxon Smith put up five points in the first overtime period off two free throws and a 3-pointer and Bryson Yaden sank two free throws as Lincoln held to a 55-52 lead late in the period. But Grundy would drain a 3 with 15 seconds left on the clock to force another OT.

Jaxon Smith opened the second overtime with another trey for a 58-55 lead only to have Kaiya Sheron and Burton nail back-to-back buckets to ease Somerset back on top 59-58 before Frye and Yaden pumped in the final four points to secure the win for Lincoln.

Riley Bodner grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds to lead the Patriots in a 31-27 win on the boards. Sheron led Somerset with nine rebounds.

Lincoln shot 43.5 percent from the field, going 20-for-46, 6-for-16 from 3. At the line, the Patriots were 16-for-21.

Somerset shot 41.5 percent for the night, going 22-for-53, 7-for-19 from 3-point range. At the line, the Jumpers were 8-for-14.

It wasn’t the cleanest of games with a total of 44 turnovers in the game. Lincoln turned the ball over 23 times and Somerset, 21.

At Somerset
Lincoln 10 14 13 12 13 – 62
Somerset 12 9 18 10 10 – 59

LINCOLN (2-1) – Bryston Alcorn 3, Bryson Yaden 2, Blake Smith 18, Elijah Frye 14, Darius Napier 4, Jaxon Smith 12, Baylor Mattingly 2, Riley Bodner 7.
SOMERSET (1-1) – Kade Grundy 19, Dylan Burton 14, Chase Walker 4, Kaiya Sheron 7, Jase Bruner 4, Dakota Acey 11.