The opening-round game of the Wayne County basketball tournament between Northeastern and Cambridge City Lincoln, originally scheduled for Friday, Jan. 10, was rescheduled to Saturday, Jan. 11, with a 10 a.m. start because of inclement weather. The additional time to prepare had little impact. The Lady Knights, ranked fourth in the latest 2A state poll, overwhelmed the Lady Eagles from the opening tip.
The Lady Knights opened the game on an 18-0 run and finished the first quarter with a 24-1 lead. The Lady Knights scored 24 more points in the second quarter to build a 48-3 halftime lead and trigger a running clock in the second half. After holding Lincoln scoreless in the third quarter, Northeastern went on to win the game 65-6 and advance to the championship game.
Twelve players saw action for Northeastern, with nine scoring. Ava Mikesell led the winner with 19 points and Mackenzie Johnson and Ady Kircher each scored 10 points. Addyson Pitcock led Lincoln with 3 points.
Northeastern head coach Cody Dudley said the game gave his team an opportunity to work against different defenses under game conditions. “Lincoln played man-to-man and then switched to a triangle and two later,” Dudley said, “so we were able to work against both. Then they played a zone, so we got a lot of good work in.”
Lincoln head coach Dylan Miller said that his team was not discouraged. “I wanted the kids to battle and show some fight and they did,” Miller said. ”Where we are now is not where we want to be. We will continue to work to improve.”
Northeastern (16-1) 24 24 10 7 65
Mikesell 19, Addyson Kircher 10, Ariel Shuler 0, Cami Angi 5, Johnson 10, Karri Gammon 9, Brooklynne Adams 0, Macey Oler 2, Amiyah Davis 5, Chloe Peters 3, Ti’aja Adams 2, Sammi Kircher 0 — Total 65
Lincoln (3-12) 1 2 0 3 6
Addyson Pitcock 3, Aubrey Trent 0, Paige Pitcock 1, Alyssa Waddel 0, Reilynn Ferguson 2, Allison Clayton 0, Morgan Gambill 0, Grace Gambill 0, Rebecca Harmer 0, Sophie Losekamp 0 — Total 6
A version of this article appeared in the January 15 2025 print edition of the Western Wayne News.