[RebelPride12]

Tremendous game. Mercer was down the whole game and was down 7 with about 2 minutes left. They eventually tied it with about 30 seconds left and neither team could score after that. Once in OT Mercer scored the first 7 points and it was pretty much history after that. Mercer played poor defense the whole game as all Lincoln had to do was make layups to preserve their lead. Truth be told Zach Hill was outplayed by his brother Luke for the first 3 quarters and while he had a great 4th quarter he fouled out with about 55 seconds left in the game. Matthew Honchel once again carried the Titans and kept them in the game with 25 points and during their furious run to tie the game Aaron Lee and Clay Cinnamon played spectacular defense(finally) by creating turnovers and blocking shots to keep hope alive for Mercer. I can't say enough about the poise Honchel has displayed not only tonight but the whole postseason. He has been THE MAN for Mercer. This is the third game in a row I have watched Mercer and it's been obvious they have a better team than their opponents but they wait too late to start playing well. They can't do that anymore or they will go home. When they are locked in offensively and defensively they are tough to play with. Unfortunately their half court defense is less than stellar and they need to score to get into their press to create turnovers and easy buckets. They rely on momentum to carry them and I am intrigued to see how long that style of play will last in the postseason. Good win Mercer. Great gut check performance. Tighten it up. I'd love to see you and your student section in Rupp Arena.

Games like this is why I love postseason high school basketball.

Can someone from Lincoln County explain to me why the Lincoln crowd was so small? Home game in the regional and there were more Lincoln people at the Lincoln/Boyle regular season game than at this game? Blew my mind because Lincoln normally has some of the best fans in the region. Not tonight. Mercer had way more fans than Lincoln and they were way louder and their student section was top notch. At Lincoln. Unbelievable.

[LeeCoUKFan]

Congrats Titans!

[HoopsGuru]

It was a great game and a great atmosphere.

I thought the Lincoln fans were smaller than normal, but it is a Wednesday night game, so a lot of people were at church. My parents come to every game, but they had a congregational meeting to vote on some things at church so they could not attend the game.

Lincoln led by 11 at half time and 8 at the end of the 3rd quarter.

Lincoln used Mercer's over agreesive denial defense against them, going back door for lay-ups all night. I would venture to guess that Luke Hill had nearly 10 assists from the center position just catching the ball in the high post and passing to his teammates cutting back-door on their defenders.

Then in the final 3 minutes Micah Ward went 2 for 6 from the free throw line, and missed a wide open lay-up. Zach Hill missed a wide open lay-up with about a minute fifteen on the clock, and Mercer proceeded to score field goals or free throws on 6 of their last 8 posessions in the 4th quarter. Once Zach Hill fouled out at around the 1 minute mark in the 4th quarter, the game was over as long as Mercer could tie it. All Lincoln's offense flows through Zach. I think Lincoln only scored 4 points in the OT period.

Lincoln had every chance to win the game. They failed to exicute at the end of the game not as much due to turn-overs, but missed easy shots and free throws. I think Mercer only forced 2 turnovers in the last 4 minutes. The rest came from defensive rebounding from missed shots or free-throws.

Congratulations to Mercer Co. I am sure they will be able to beat Pulaski Southwestern and move on to the finals of the 12th region.

#25 Honchel was the player of the game for Mercer Co. Making several big threes to keep Mercer close, and one in overtime to seal it up.

Clay Cinnamon is, in my opinion, the best player Mercer has. He played a solid game as well.

[GetChili]

It was a great atmosphere, I can tell you that for sure. I thought Lincoln Co. should have won that game, but when Z. Hill got his 5th foul, it was over for the Patriots.