LINCOLN -- Day one of the Lincoln Turkey Shoot Invitational Basketball Tournament pitted the Gentry Lady Pioneers against the Lincoln Junior Varsity Lady Wolfpack in the opening game Nov.19 in the main gym at Lincoln High School. By the end of the contest, the Lady Pioneers team took the victory in its quest to bring home a first-place trophy.
Right from the start, the Lincoln Junior Varsity was in for an uphill battle as the Lady Pioneers scored six unanswered points in the first 30 seconds of the contest. The Lady Pioneers' defense held the Lady Wolfpack to only five points in the first eight minutes of the game. By the start of the second quarter, the Lady Pioneers had amassed a 21-point lead.
Lincoln managed to hold the Lady Pioneers to 11 points in the second quarter. But they were unable to take advantage of this on the boards, which allowed the Lady Pioneers to add 14 points to their lead at the half.
Gentry regrouped in the second half, pulling out in front of the Lady Wolfpack by 31 points and holding Lincoln to only four points in the third quarter.
When the final buzzer sounded, the Gentry Lady Pioneers had their first victory of the tournament, 67-31, over the Lincoln JV Lady Wolfpack, advancing to the winners' bracket on Nov. 20.
Leading the scoring drive for Gentry was Ariel Nix with 12, followed by Emily Toland with 11 and Jaiden Jarnagan with eight.
The Lady Pioneers next faced conference rival Shiloh Christian in the semifinal round in the winner's bracket. For the Lady Pioneers, this game proved to be a real challenge. Both defenses kept the first quarter score low, with the Lady Saints eventually taking a three-point lead, 10-7, going into the next eight-minute quarter.
The Lady Pioneers hit their stride in the second quarter, outscoring the Lady Saints, 17-9, to take a 24-19 lead going into the break.
Both teams played on an even keel throughout the third quarter, with Gentry maintaining its lead by four points going into the final eight minutes of the contest.
In the final quarter, the Lady Saints began a run that chipped away at the Lady Pioneers lead. An exceptional Shiloh defense held Gentry to only two points to win the semifinal round, 36-31, and advance to the championship round. Gentry advanced to the third-place round held Nov. 21.
Leading the scoring drive for the Lady Pioneers was Jaiden Wilmoth with eight, followed by Ariel Nix with seven.
In the final round of the Turkey Shoot Basketball Tournament in Lincoln, the Gentry Lady Pioneers and the Elkins Lady Elks squared off for a third-place finish.
And, as in the Gentry-Shiloh game the day before, the Lady Pioneer and the Lady Elk defenses managed to keep the scoring drive in check for the first quarter, with Elkins taking a three-point lead, 10-7, going into the next quarter. Unlike the previous match, Gentry took control of the second quarter, overtaking Elkins and outscoring Elkins, 19-5, for a 26-15 lead at halftime.
The second half was all Lady Pioneers, who claimed the victory, 50-31, and took third place in the Lincoln tournament.
Leading the scoring effort for the Lady Pioneers were Jaydon Jarnagan with 14, Randi Bolinger with 11, Jaiden Wilmoth with 10 and Emily Toland with eight.
Sports on 11/28/2018