Lynx Basketball loses to John Wood in Regional Semi-Final

[March 14, 2018] 

The Lincoln College Men’s Basketball team was able to advance to the semi-final game of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region 24 Post-season Tournament last weekend, but ended their season with an 82-67 loss to top seeded John Wood Community College.

Lincoln won their quarter-final match-up against Illinois Central College on Friday. After several early lead changes, the Lynx were able to gain the momentum and build a 36-27 halftime lead. Lincoln maintained their lead throughout the second half to win the game 76-66. Sophomore guard Trayvon Tyler (Rockford) was the leading scorer for Lincoln with 24 points. Tyler went 3-for-3 from beyond the three-point arc and was credited with three assists. Sophomore Roland Austin also scored in double digits, as he had 11 points.

On Saturday, LC faced the John Wood Blazers with a trip to the Region Final on the line. Lincoln struggled early to score against John Wood’s pressure defense and quickly fell behind. The Blazers would open up as much as a 23-point lead in the first half and went into the locker room for halftime up 48-27. The Lynx came out with renewed energy in the second half and were able to cut the lead to as few as six points, but LC was unable to complete the comeback and eventually had to accept the 15-point loss.

Trayvon Tyler again led his team in scoring with 22 points. Sophomore Richard Simpkins (Carlock) pulled down a team-high seven rebounds.

Lincoln Head Coach Pat Lepper saw his team’s inconsistency on offense as a key to the defeat, “Our lack of ability to score really hurt us against John Wood,” he said. “I thought we played some really good defense in spurts, but you can’t win games when you miss layups.”

Lincoln College finishes the season with a 23-7 record. Two players for Lincoln received post-season awards. Trayvon Tyler was named Region 24 Player of the Year and he was awarded Co-Player of the Year status by the Mid-West Athletic Conference (MWAC). Freshman Edwin Rivera (Puerto Rico) received All-Region Honorable Mention and 2nd team All-Conference honors.

Coach Lepper sees a bright future for the program as the team looks ahead to the planned move toward membership in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletic (NAIA) in the fall of 2018. “I’m really proud of this team,” said Lepper. “We have fought through adversity all season long, which give us confidence we can do great things in the future. I’m excited for the next phase of Lincoln College basketball as a member of the NAIA.”

[Mark Tippett
Lincoln College
Sports Information]