By Bill Nestor
One of the hottest hoops teams around is the Lincoln Cougars boys’ squad. My good friend, the Voice of the Cougars, Craig Dutton, was a little under the weather this week and asked me to fill in for the Grafton broadcast. I had heard several great things about this team and I was excited to catch a glimpse of this years’ edition.
The cherry on top for me was that I was going to be partnered in the broadcast booth with Mike Wolfe. Mike ran track for me when I coached at Lincoln after I graduated from Fairmont State. Since then, we have spent some time together in the radio world. He is an exceptional broadcasting talent and a great friend, so this was a homecoming opportunity that was too great to pass up.
Ironically, the principal at Lincoln when I coached there was Mr. Toth, the father of current head basketball coach Jordan Toth.
Coach Toth is the man behind the identity of this basketball team. The Cougars are a hard working team that outworks their opposition on a nightly basis. You can’t tell if they are up by 10 points or trailing by 10 points because their play is the same on the floor regardless of the score. The focus the players play with can be seen on the face of Coach Toth from the time he enters the gym until he departs it.
He reminds me of an old school coach, and I appreciate that level of intensity and drive. That is why I try to not bother him before the game, because I remember how locked in I used to be before a key contest. The last thing I would want to do is to get in the way of his game preparation or focus.
The matchup with Grafton didn’t start the way that fans in Cougar Country would have liked. Lincoln fell behind 16 to 11 after the first quarter and 27 to 17 heading into the halftime break. The deficit grew to 13 points early in the third period and Grafton fans that made the trip were already celebrating as if the win was in the bag. The senior laden squad, however, has seen just about everything possible on the hardwood and they were not shaken by the deficit. Nate Swiger scored six points and Wyatt Finch came off the bench to hit a big three-pointer to lead Lincoln on a 14 to seven run to end the third frame.
The Cougars trailed by three points going into the final period and would outscore the Bearcats 13 to six to claim the 44 to 40 victory.Swiger finished with a game high 15 points and six rebounds while Brayden Edgell had 10 points and four assists.
Lincoln closed out last week with a 56 to 40 win over Robert C. Byrd. The Cougars allowed just five second quarter points and held a 30 to 17 halftime advantage. David Burdette led the way with 14 points. Brayden Edgell netted 11 points, dished out five assists, and recorded three steals.
The Cougar triumph evened the season series at one win apiece with each team winning on their home floor. Sectional play starts next week. Lincoln is the number four seed and will travel to Liberty. The Flying Eagles are the number two seed and will host Elkins. Those tilts will be played on the 27th.
If the Cougars and RCB should both win, they would play the rubber match for the sectional title at One Eagle Way on the 29th. Both teams would be slated to make it to the sectional final because win or lose, they would have an opportunity to play for a trip to Charleston on March 6. The winner of the section would be at home on the 6th while the loser would travel.
West Virginia University’s men’s basketball team has fallen on hard times recently. The Mountaineers lost a fourth consecutive game this past Saturday at home to Baylor. Former WVU player and Fairmont Senior standout Jalen Bridges scored 10 points in his return to the Colosseum. He was one of six Bears to score double digits in the affair. The only path to the NCAA Tournament for the Mountaineers in through a Big 12 Tournament championship.