February 28, 2008
Lincoln Girls Knock Off Defending Champs

Photo by Shawn Frehner Lincoln's Aubrey Church shoots over Battle Mountain defender.

By Dave Maxwell, Staff Writer

Sophomore Marissa Smerek scored 18 points and Lincoln County took down Battle Mountain 49-46 in the 2A State Semi-Finals in Reno February 22 ending the two-time defending state champions try for a three-peat.

Holding onto a precarious one-point lead with under 20 seconds remaining Aubrey Church scored on a layup with 8.3 seconds left to give the Lynx a three-point lead they were able to hang on to.

Jordan Waugh tried a long 3-pointer with five seconds left, but it went hard off the glass and out of bounds.

Smerek scored 12 of her 18 points in the second half. “She carried us tonight like she’s been carrying us for the last two weeks,” said Coach Henry Frehner.

Guards Jennifer Lesicka and Kori Gloeckner were able to effectively handle Battle Mountain’s pressure and a late switch to a 1-3-1 half-court trap.

Needles, the 2A Southern Regional Champ also advanced to the State Finals on 7-of-9 free throws in the fourth quarter, and managed to hold on for a 48-46 win over Lovelock.