Auburn boys fend off Lincoln to punch ticket to 3A regional round, 3 takeaways

Top-ranked Trojans get game-high 32 points from Jaylen Petter, and 22 more from Carter Hansen in 83-70 district-tournament victory over No. 9 Abes

AUBURN, Wash. - Jaylen Petty scored a game-high 32 points, and top-ranked Auburn finally pulled away from No. 9 Lincoln of Tacoma in the fourth quarter for an 83-70 victory Friday in the opening round of the Class 3A District 3/4 boys basketball tournament.

Carter Hansen added 22 points. It was three 3-pointers by the Trojans' duo, including back-to-back shots from long range by Petty, to give Auburn breathing room at 64-57 with 5:36 remaining.

Trey Collier totaled a career-high 19 points off the bench for the Abes, who tied the game at 53-53 on Dairius Dillard's bucket early in the fourth quarter.

Here are three takeaways from the Auburn-Lincoln game:

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BIG BUT QUIET NIGHT FOR JAYLEN PETTY

Petty, one of the top scorers in the state, never really found a long-range shooting rhythm Friday night, but did enough damage in spurts to lead the Trojans.

"It wasn’t really a night for me, but at the same time, that is my role as a teammate - I can give it to my team," Petty said.

But before the fourth quarter started, Auburn boys coach Ryan Hansen went to his standout and asked him to play like "the best player on the floor."

Petty sank back-to-back 3-pointers in a 40-second span - the final one on a feed from Carter Hansen in the right corner, to get the Trojans going.

"He has shown all year, you can make things tough on him, but he finds a way to get it going," Ryan Hansen said.

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CARTER THE COBRA

Editor's note: Ryan Hansen made it very clear this nickname would not stick in the locker room ... but the image is clear nonetheless.

His son can stay quiet for long stretches, at least scoring-wise, but he rises up and strikes when it is needed.

Carter Hansen had eight of his 22 points in the third quarter when the Abes took the lead on four separate occasions.

"It's huge to have a guy like Carter out there to take the pressure off Jaylen," Ryan Hansen said. "He is a gamer. He is a competitive kid."

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ABES' BACKCOURT SHINES

After top Lincoln player Omarion Boston picked up his second personal foul at the 2:56 mark of the first quarter and sat the rest of the half, the Abes' outlook appeared to take a hit.

Except the guard trio of Oshea Lamar, LaVhanna Sandling Green and Collier never let that happen.

All three took turns making players - with Collier, a ninth grader, doing the most damage with a pair of 3-pointers and tough buckets off the dribble, scoring 16 first-half points, most of any player on either side.

Sandling Green finished with 15 points in the game as well.

"It is scary at times on what we can do," Abes boys coach Ryan Rogers said. "It can be anybody’s night anytime.

"For the most part, we stayed pretty composed."

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GIRLS BASKETBALL

Photo by Todd Milles

Auburn 65, Lincoln of Tacoma 53

Avery Hansen scored a game-high 22 points, and the 3A NPSL champion and No. 9 Trojans punched their ticket to the regional round with a victory over the Abes, the No. 2 team out of the 3A PCL.

After Lincoln cut it to 41-38 on a Savannah So free throw at the 5:10 mark of the third quarter, the Trojans scored eight unanswered points - and were never really threatened again.

Lincoln held seven-point leads twice in the second quarter - the last at 23-16 at the 7:05 mark.

"We really haven't been tested for a moth and a half," Auburn girls coach Jessica Hansen said. "I was really proud of us … facing adversity and our girls keeping it together."