First Posted: 2/6/2015
LIMA — After Lima Central Catholic’s 58-38 boys basketball win over Lincolnview on Friday night, LCC coach Frank Kill pulled a $2 Ohio Lottery “Walking Dead” game ticket from his coat pocket and said it reminded him of the way the Thunderbirds played much of the first half.
While the lottery ticket wasn’t a winner, LCC was.
And while Kill said there was still much room for improvement, the second half was much better overall than the 16 minutes which came right before it in his estimation.
The Thunderbirds shot nearly 80 percent (16 of 21) in the final two quarters and 55 percent for the game.
After Lincolnview scored the first bucket of the second half to climb within eight points at 24-16, LCC went on a 13-0 run which took the Lancers out of the game with 11 minutes left to play.
LCC jumped out to a 20-5 lead two and a half minutes into the second quarter but what came right after that dismayed Kill.
“I just didn’t like the way our energy was. We played pretty much on ‘E.’ I thought we really came alive in the second half and sparked our offense and defense and got some transition. That’s our basketball,” Kill said.
“We got after it right away in that third quarter. I thought the third quarter was the difference maker in that game,” he said.
Dantez Walton scored 16 points and Tre Cobbs had 11 points for LCC (15-2). Jake Williams had eight rebounds. Hayden Ludwig and Justis Dowdy had 11 points for Lincolnview (9-8).
LCC will play Kalamazoo Central at 7:45 tonight in the RedHawk Showcase at Grand Rapids (Mich.) Union High School as part of a one-day, five-game basketball event.
Kalamazoo Central (14-0) is ranked No. 9 in Class A, the biggest division in Michigan basketball, and beat Battle Creek Central 57-43 on Friday night.
