KINGWOOD, W.Va. — Trudging into its locker room at halftime of last night’s home game against Lincoln, the Preston girls’ basketball team knew it might just be in for a few extra decibels of “encouragement” from their coach, Brian Miller.
That tends to happen when you trail by 14 points and the other team is on a 20-0 run.
“I said, ‘There’s good news and bad news,’” Miller said after the game. “’Bad news? That’s the worst quarter of basketball I think you’ve ever played. The good news is that I don’t think it’s possible that you can play any worse.”
It’s also clear that plenty of strategy adjustments and positive messages were also included, because the Knights — especially senior forward Michelle Thomas — found a way to claw and scratch their way up and over the mountain, nosing ahead with two minutes left then holding on for a nail-biting, team-building 40-38 victory.
Both Preston (8-4) and the visiting Cougars (4-8) were sloppy on offense early, with missed layups and unforced turnovers rampant on both sides. The Knights managed to carve out a 14-8 lead with five minutes left in the half by playing solid help defense on the perimeter, but they couldn’t hit open jumpers or convert in the paint to extend their advantage.
That’s when Lincoln’s shooting guard tandem of Madi Martin and Ashlyn Riley got hotter than ghost pepper sauce on a jalapeno popper, thanks in part to the disintegration of the Knights’ defensive communication.
“We weren’t too worried about their penetration, but we really wanted to be sure that we didn’t give their shooters open looks,” Miller said. “But the wrong people were helping, which left them free. And they kept knocking them down.”
Four consecutive triples — two apiece from Martin and Riley — plus a conventional 3-point play from Alexis Williams fueled the monster run, but seven panicky turnovers from the Knights kept the flames stoked as well. A lay-in at the buzzer for Hannah Ferris made it 28-14 Cougars at the half.
In an attempt to speed up the game, the Knights cranked up their defensive intensity and also looked to attack the rim as much as possible, hoping to sneak back within striking distance. A key defensive move — inserting quick, lengthy players like Leah Elliott and Natalie Annon — paid dividends, as did the inspired play of senior Thomas. Turnovers and contested Cougar shots were converted into fast break lay-ins from Thomas, and fellow forward Carsynn Sines drew several fouls. Each scored six in the quarter, and the stifling and correctly-switching Preston defense surrendered just two free throws in the quarter, as the lead was whittled down to just two at 30-28 heading into the final quarter.
Momentum clearly on their side, the Knights briefly took back the lead at 31-30 a minute in, but the Cougars didn’t wilt, and fought back to regain the lead at 36-34 four minutes later. However, Thomas’ offensive rebounding forced Lincoln to foul often, and the Knights began to walk to the foul line for one-and-one and then bonus two-shot opportunities. While they were only 8 of 15 from the line down the stretch, it was enough to build a 2-point lead at 40-38 with six ticks remaining. After a free-throw miss, a long pass to a wide-open Cougars player under the basket could’ve tied the score — but a correct traveling call with 0.8 seconds left finally put the game on ice for the Knights.
After the game, Thomas talked about that halftime chat.
“We knew we weren’t playing the way we needed to, and we reminded ourselves of what it was going to take to get back in it,” she said. “I was pretty ticked off after the second quarter, and I guess I need to be a little agitated to play my best. It was a big win for us — any time you come back like that, it’s huge for everybody, knowing that we shouldn’t ever give up, and if we play together, we can do it.”
In the JV game, The Knights beat the Cougars 72-46 behind a quartet of double-digit scorers. Kendall Stiles led with 16, followed by Dalaynie Myers with 15, and Emma Wilson and Ella White each scored 12 in the victory.
The Knights were able to squeeze a home game with Trinity into its COVID-depleted schedule at 7 p.m. Monday.
Preston’s Michelle Thomas (3) shoots over Lincoln’s Emily Jett (3) on Friday. 
Preston’s Carsynn Sines (30) protects the ball from Lincoln’s Ashlyn Riley (24) on Friday. 
Preston’s Leah Elliot (23) protects the ball from Lincoln’s Ashlyn Riley (24) on Friday.
Lincoln 8 20 2 8 – 38
Preston 10 4 14 12 – 40
LINCOLN (4-8)
Madi Martin 5 2-4 15 Hannah Ferris 3 0-0 6 Sydney McDougal 1 1-2 3 Alexis Williams 1 1-1 3 Ashlyn Riley 4 0-0 11 Totals 14 4-7 38
PRESTON (8-4)
Michelle Thomas 5 5-8 15 Raegan Knotts 1 0-0 2 Leah Elliot 2 1-2 6 Carsynn Sines 3 4-6 11 Natalie Annon 0 1-3 1 Emma Wilson 2 1-2 5 Totals 13 12-21 40
3-pointers – Lincoln 6 (Martin 3, Riley 3), Preston 2 (Elliott, Sines)
Cabell Midland 58, Morgantown 44
BECKLEY — The Mohigans stumbled in the fourth quarter against the Knights, especially on the defensive end, as Cabell Midland made eight of nine shots and outscored MHS 19-8 in the final eight minutes to earn the win.
“We struggled as team defensively,” coach Jason White said. “We gave up too many drives to the rim. Once we got behind, I felt like we rushed our shots on the offensive end. Give a ton of credit to Cabell Midland — that’s why they are ranked third in Class 4A.”
Kaitlyn Ammons scored 20 points for the Mohigans, while Lindsay Bechtel added 12.
MHS (7-2) will stay in Beckley to play Woodrow Wilson at 1 p.m. Saturday.
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