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STANFORD — Junior guard Baylor Mattingly is one of the engines that runs the Lincoln County High School Patriots basketball team. And Friday night against visiting Great Crossing of Scott County, he was full-steam ahead.

Mattingly had a hot hand in the Patriots’ first home game since Dec. 6, dropping a game-high 26 points on 9-for-11 shooting, going 8-for-10 from 3-point range. The starting guard was electric from the start, bombing in six 3-pointers in the first quarter as Lincoln exploded out to a 19-2 lead and never looked back en route to a 65-41 victory. 

“I came in Monday and Tuesday and just worked on my shots and then we had two good practices on Wednesday and Thursday, and it just carried over into the game,” Mattingly said. “When they got the ball to me, I just kept on shooting. I knew it was going to go in.”

Mattingly said he’d had a heads up that he might be taking a lot of shots against the Great Crossing Warhawks.

“Coach (Shawn) Conley told me I was going to have some looks so just be ready,” he said. “When I got out there. I set my feet and followed through and made it.”

Lincoln coach Jeff Jackson said scouting Great Crossing let his staff know the opportunity might be there for Mattingly to shoot – and often.

“We watched three or four films on them and, when they press and run and jump, the other teams would get shots from the corner,” he said. “Coach Conley told Baylor, ‘You’re going to get looks tonight. When they start pressing, get your feet set and be ready.’ He had open looks and was on fire and put the ball in the basket. He can do that. He’s a great shooter. He played well defensively tonight, too.”

Mattingly’s hot hand cooled down after the opening period, but the Patriots never did. Lincoln shot 57 percent from the field, going 20-for-35, while holding Great Crossing to just 30.4 percent shooting, 14-for-46. The Patriots, who were at 63 percent from 3-point range, going 10-for-16 overall, never trailed in the ballgame, leading by as many as 28 points before posting the win. The Warhawks finished 6-for-17 from 3.

“Our kids played really well defensively tonight. It felt great to be back home,” said Jackson. “We guarded tonight. If we can just figure out how to do that every night and come ready to play mentally and physically for 32 minutes …. They’ve got a good team. We’ve had games like that where it goes your way and games where it doesn’t, and tonight it went our way.”

The Patriots (8-3) held a 23-7 lead at the end of the first quarter. Bryston Alcorn had a free throw toss in the early 19-2 run. Elijah Frye added two more free throws late in the period and Tramane Alcorn went baseline for a bucket before the buzzer. Michael Tucker was the Warhawks’ offense in the first quarter, collecting a 3-pointer and two field goals as Great Crossing got just three of 17 shot attempts to fall.

Neither team shot well early in the second quarter. Great Crossing did the only scoring in the first 3 minutes, 55 seconds, with Dominick Smiley draining a 3-pointer and Neil Baker getting a bucket to get the Warhawks within 23-12 midway through the second quarter. Riley Bodner, who finished with 10 points on 5-for-6 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds, ended Lincoln’s scoring drought with 4:05 left in the first half, hitting inside to set off a 7-0 run. Mattingly followed with his seventh 3 before Bodner went back inside for two more points and a 30-12 lead.

The Patriots were up 33-14 late in the second but Tye Schureman connected for a 3-pointer before the buzzer to make it a 33-17 ballgame.

Lincoln led by as many as 20 points in the fourth quarter and took a 47-28 lead into the final period.

The Patriots further distanced themselves from the Warhawks in the fourth quarter, using a 13-4 scoring run for their largest lead of the game. Frye, who finished with eight points, pushed in almost half of the 13 points on a 6-for-6 stint at the foul line. Mattingly added his eighth 3-pointer and a field goal and Bryston Alcorn sank two free throws to make it 60-32, Lincoln, with 4:14 to play.

Great Crossing (6-6) outscored Lincoln 9-5 over the closing minutes but it was too little, too late as the Patriots moved on for the win.

“It was a good win. A good team win. A great way to start the year off,” Jackson said. “Our crowd tonight was really, really good. I thought our young kids played hard tonight, especially our jv kids. I’m proud of all our kids. We moved the ball well. When Baylor gets rolling, these kids are good at finding him where he can get shots.”

KJ Tucker led Great Crossing in scoring with 10 points on 2-for-12 shooting. He was 4-for-5 at the foul line.

The Patriots were 15-for-18 at the foul line. The Warhawlks went 7-for-11 at the line.

Lincoln outrebounded Great Crossing 28-18. Jaxon Smith had seven rebounds for the Pats and Bryston Alcorn had five. Jaylen Barber led Great Crossing with seven rebounds.

At Lincoln Co.

Great Crossing 7 10 11 13 – 41

Lincoln 23 10 14 18 – 65

GREAT CROSSING (6-6) – KJ Tucker 10, Michael McKenzie 7, Tye Schureman 6, Neil Baker 5, Jaylen Barber 4, Dominick Smiley 3, Jalen Austin 2, Cade Brown 2, Kalib Perry 2.

LINCOLN (8-3) – Baylor Mattingly 26, Riley Bodner 10, Elijah Frye 8, Jaxon Smith 7, Bryston Alcorn 4, Tramane Alcorn 4, Colton Ralston 3, Colin Green 3.