SHINNSTON, W.Va. (WV News) — Keyed by defensive pressure and seniors Aidan Rice and Wyatt Finch, the Lincoln Cougars erased a halftime deficit to down the visiting Grafton Bearcats in its 2024-25 season opener, 45-36.
Trailing 26-17 at the intermission, Lincoln coach Jordan Toth’s decision to shift into to a 2-2-1 press entering the second-half helped limit Grafton to just eight points over the final two quarters. Together, Rice and Finch helped Lincoln capitalize on its opportunity, jointly pacing an 11-point second-half Cougar comeback with 19 points apiece. Of their 38, 23 came in the second.
Yet their collective impact went beyond simply scoring. Rice added nine rebounds, one block and a steal while Finch added seven rebounds, one block and one steal. Grafton’s Dillan America netted a team-high nine points — all of which came from beyond the arc in an impressive first-half shooting display before the Lincoln pressure took its toll over the final two quarters.
The Bearcat senior forward rounded out his stat-line with nine rebounds, a block and steal. “It’s kind of what we expected. We knew coming in that we’ve got a ton of inexperience right now,” Grafton coach Michael Johnson said.
“With Dillan America is the only player with varsity player return, so we knew it was going to be a little up and down at times. I loved our effort but also felt that our inexperience really showed, especially in the second half.” Grafton seized control of a back-and-forth f.
