By Henry O’Brien
SHINNSTON, W. Va. — Lincoln cheerleaders and students lined up along the post lines of the basketball court as a ladder was placed underneath the hoop. For the Cougars’ girls basketball team, it was an open lane to the basket in more ways than one.
Not only had Lincoln (16-8) attacked the basket all night in its 73-46 win over Moorefield (7-14), courtesy of 22 points from center Aundrea Rockwell and 21 from Ava McGill, but it now could walk to the basket to cut down the hoop, a symbol of the Cougars punching a ticket to Charleston.
It’s the 15th time in program history that the Cougars have made it to the state tournament and the ninth under coach Rob Hawkins. They will be the No. 8 seed and will face No. 1 James Monroe in the WVSSAC Class AA opening round on March 10 at 7:15 p.m.
Lincoln has won eight of its last nine games, proving that Hawkins’ squad has rallied since the loss of starting forward Sadie Adams midway through the season.
“It feels great to get back,” Hawkins said. “It’s been an interesting season. We’ve had to go through some things, not the least of all, which is losing Sadie (Adams) midway through the season. But the girls rallied. And we’re playing our best basketball of the year.”
Hawkins credited Aundrea Rockwell and Brystol Toth as the reliable backcourt for the Cougars, but noted that the growth of Gracey Fortney and Kennedy Linville was just as important to them, where they are now.
While the first few minutes of the game saw the Cougars struggle to handle Moorefield’s full court press, Linville and Fortney sparked early bright spots on offense. Fortney opened the scoring for Lincoln with a 3-pointer just 35 seconds into the contest. With 3:55 left in the quarter, Linville nabbed the ball and passed up to McGill to give their squad an 11-8 lead. Linville finished with a team-high nine steals.
As Hawkins continued to dish out praise for his players, he mentioned how Fortney and Linville’s comfort level on the floor coincided with McGill’s growth into what he thought she could be. McGill recorded an and-one, three-point play with 1:17 left in the opening period to put the score at 20-13. These contributions came from players who all have improved as the season went along.
“We went through some struggles right after that, but then as the season went on, I think Gracie and Kennedy got more comfortable together,” Hawkins said. “And as that was happening, Ava started playing the way we thought she was capable of.”
The second and third quarters were when Lincoln truly dominated, outscoring Moorefield 43-17 over those 16 minutes. The 6-foot-1 Rockwell continued to dominate down low as none of the Yellow Jackets could match her size (all of the Moorefield players were listed under 5-foot-11), while Brystol Toth went to the foul line on four straight possessions. Toth finished the game going 9-of-13 from the charity stripe.
The defense also settled into its own throughout the game, running a zone defense that forced 35 turnovers from the Yellow Jackets. Along with Linville’s nine steals, McGill had four robberies of her own and Gabby Milnes recorded three. This pressure continued into the second half, where the Cougars allowed just seven points in the period.
While Lincoln once again seemed frazzled by the press defense, forcing Hawkins to call a timeout early in the fourth quarter, the victory was in sight and the coach got to return as regional champions for the first time since 2020.
“Anytime you get to the state tournament, it’s a thrill,” Hawkins said. “And we had been on a run there, and then the last couple of years, (we) hit some dry spells.
“So obviously the community is happy. The girls are thrilled and the girls, and it’s been their goal, and I tell you what, they have been so confident the last couple of weeks.”
