Bill Lusk | WVOW Sports
LOGAN Logan’s Julius Clancy nailed a game-winning 3-pointer with 12 seconds remaining leading Class AAA No. 10 Logan to a 47-44 win over Lincoln County Tuesday night at the Willie Akers Arena.
Clancy’s game-winner came 1:05 after Lincoln County’s Will Shephard tied the game at 44 with a 3 of his own.
Lincoln County had an opportunity to tie and send the game to overtime, however, Shephard’s 3-pointer was off the mark securing the win for the Wildcats.
Logan improved to 8-8 with the win and remained unbeaten against sectional competition and has all but unofficially locked up the top seed in the Class AAA Region 4 Section 2 tournament.
Lincoln County, who entered the game having lost six of its last seven games, drops to 4-13 overall and 1-3 in sectional play.
The Wildcats scored the first 11 points of the game before the Panthers closed the gap to six, 11-5, after scoring five consecutive points to end the first quarter.
Logan led by nine, 18-9, on a Zayden Sherod basket with 5:47 remaining before halftime.
Lincoln County ended the half on a 14-4 run to take a 23-22 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Logan started and closed the third quarter on a fury, outscoring Lincoln County 9-2 to take a 31-25 lead on Ivan Miller’s basket with 4:28 to play.
After the Panthers closed to within two, 33-31, Logan scored the final five points of the third and led 38-31.
Trailing 40-31, Lincoln County responded with an 8-0 to cut Logan’s lead to one, 40-39. The Wildcats scored the next four points before the Panthers answered with five unanswered points to tie the game at 44 on Shepherd’s 3 with 1:17 to play.
Shephard led Lincoln County with 12 points and Wyatt Edwards and Aydin Shaffer finished with 11 points each.
Matt Hatfield led Logan with 15 points. McCormick Ilderton had nine points and Cole Blankenship and Clancy each had seven points.
Logan 47, Lincoln County 44
Lincoln County Panthers (4-13)
Wood 4 0-0 8, Shaffer 4 0-0 11, Smith 0 0-0 0, Edwards 5 0-0 11, Shephard 5 0-0 12, Johaim 0 2-2 2. Totals: 18 2-2 44
Logan Wildcats (8-7)
Clancy 3 0-0 7, Hatfield 5 2-2 15, Blankenship 3 0-0 7, Sherod 3 0-0 6, Ilderton 4 1-1 9, Miller 1 1-2 3.
Lincoln 5 18 8 13- 44
Logan 11 11 16 9- 47
3-point field goals: Lincoln County 6 (Shafer 3, Shephard 2, Edwards), Logan 5 (Hatfield 3, Blankenship, Clancy).