With only three minutes remaining in the game, East Lincoln was in an unfamiliar position.

The Mustangs were previously on a 41-2 winning streak over the past two seasons, but were behind Hickory 50-43 during their away game.

However, the dynamic sophomore pair of Kiara Anderson and Emma Montanari demonstrated their ability to shine under pressure by reversing the situation and securing a 58-56 win against the Red Tornadoes’ upset bid.

In a 7-0 run lasting one minute, Montanari was responsible for scoring the initial five points that evened the score. East Lincoln then countered with four consecutive points, but Anderson regained momentum for the visiting team with a game-tying three-pointer in the final 45.7 seconds.

The Mustangs successfully stopped the defense, allowing Anderson to take the ball the entire length of the court and secure a lead that they maintained for the remaining 26 seconds.

Laken Powe dominated the game by excelling in both rebounding and scoring. The experienced player contributed 10 out of her 13 points in the first half, helping Hickory take an 11-8 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Anderson and Montanari hit their stride in the second period.

Montanari contributed 14 points during the period while Anderson scored an additional 8 points. East Lincoln entered halftime with a 31-27 lead after the two players combined for five consecutive points in the final 10 seconds of the half.

After emerging from the locker room, East Lincoln’s full-court defense consistently caused turnovers and helped the Mustangs gain a significant advantage of 37-29. However, in the last four minutes of the third quarter, Hickory made a strong comeback and ultimately took the lead with eight minutes remaining in the game.

Havyn Dula aggressively drove to the basket and scored four times, contributing to an 8-0 scoring streak for the Red Tornadoes. Powe and Lea Boyens also made baskets during this period, giving their team a 41-39 lead.

In the initial five minutes of the final quarter, the team that was considered the underdog had an advantage. Dula remained in top form, and Addison Sisk also contributed four points during the fourth quarter.

With less than four minutes remaining, Hickory was in the lead with a score of 50-43. However, Montanari and Anderson quickly resumed their efforts and were able to secure the victory.

Abbie Hege led the team by grabbing 11 rebounds for East Lincoln, with her most crucial contribution being a putback basket in the last moments, which helped increase the Mustangs’ lead to 58-54.

East Lincoln improved to 11-1 with the victory, and 2-0 in league play. The Mustangs host Fred T. Foard on Friday. Hickory dropped to 8-5 overall and will stay home to face North Iredell on Friday evening.

East Lincoln Scoring:

• Montanari, 24
• Anderson, 17
• Atkins, 7
• Hege, 5
• Thomas, 3
• Pethel, 2

Hickory Scoring:

• Dula, 16
• Powe, 13
• Krenzel, 10
• Boyens, 8
• Sisk, 6

Source: highschoolot.com