WEST LINCOLN — West Lincoln junior guard Chloe Sterling gathered the ball and raced towards the opposite goal as the third quarter neared its completion.

With a Richton High defender riding her hip, Sterling looked up at the clock and launched a running shot from halfway between the 3-point line and halfcourt.

The shot banked in as the buzzer sounded and the home side of Jack Case Gymnasium leapt to its collective feet in a loud celebration.

That shot made the score 47-41 after three quarters of the MHSAA 2A second round playoff game between the Bears and visiting Rebels.

Unfortunately for the fans of the green and white, the next field goal for West Lincoln would come after Richton started the final quarter on a 12-1 run in an eventual 57-54 win for the visitors that ended the season for coach Lane Young and the Bears.

When they needed it, Richton turned up the defensive pressure late. They forced five straight turnovers to start the fourth quarter. West Lincoln didn’t get a shot off from the floor until almost half way through the fourth quarter.

Richton outscored the Bears 16-7 in the final quarter with the last West Lincoln bucket being just its second made field goal of the final eight minutes and coming as the horn sounded in an already secured win for the Rebels.

The Rebels and coach Otto Crawford started junior Rakhiya Moody, freshman Caedence Amos-Smith, senior Kalyjai Bolton, junior Dherria Barlow and junior Nylah Robins.

Moody is 5-foot-7, Amos-Smith is 5-foot-6, Barlow is 5-foot-9, and Robins is 5-foot-6. They are an athletic, quick group that has length, speed, outside shooting, and the ability to get to the bucket with a physical style.

All four scored in double figures, with Robbins leading the way with 18 points. Moody scored 13 points, Barlow added 11 points, and Amos-Smith finished with 10 points. The only other two Rebels to get in the scorebook were Bolton with four points and eighth grader Baylee Autry with two points.

“In the fourth quarter we turned it over too much and their pressure hurt us,” said Young. “They’ve got four athletes that can go and have really good length.”

West Lincoln led 29-26 at halftime behind the strength of a 19-point first half effort from Sterling.

Sterling was named Region 7-2A MVP last weekend when the Bears won the Region 7-2A Tournament and on Friday she played a nearly perfect half of basketball.

“She was awesome tonight,” said Young of his leading scorer.

In the second quarter Sterling scored all but two of her team’s 15 points. The one basket she didn’t score was a jumper by sophomore forward Kylie Jarancik, a make that came on a Sterling assist.

Sterling played much of the fourth quarter with four fouls. She picked up a second quarter foul on what was called an illegal screen. Young vehemently disagreed with the foul call and was assessed a technical foul for his protest.

West Lincoln only used one substitute on the night in eighth grade forward Ja’Kayla Hunter.

The West Lincoln starters Sterling, Jarancik, junior Elizabeth Burton, senior Emma Quin and senior Maggy James all played nearly the entire second half without coming off the court.

Sterling finished with a game high 33 points. Jarancik scored 10 points, James added five points, Quin had four points, and Hunter scored the basket with .3 seconds left that ended the game to finish with two points.

James and Quin are the only two seniors on the roster for West Lincoln.

Young had high praise for both.

“Maggy really worked hard to improve her outside shooting and that made us a better team,” said Young.

James only played two seasons at West Lincoln after transferring from Franklin County, but you’d never know she hadn’t been a Bear for life as she meshed perfectly with her new team and community over the last two years.

Quin is a first-year starter who came off the bench as a junior last season for a West Lincoln squad that lost a close second round game at Pelahatchie.

“Emma didn’t play much late in the year last season when we tightened our rotation up,” said Young. “She worked really hard to improve her game and her getting better made us better. They’ve both been great teammates and leaders.”

West Lincoln ends the season with a 23-6 record. Richton (17-11) moves on to face Newton (21-4) in the 2A quarterfinals next week.