Basketball Recap: Drew Payne Key Part of Team Effort in Indians Win

While Sissonville's victory against Lincoln County wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Sissonville Indians sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 55-52 win over the Lincoln County Panthers on Thursday. The Indians haven't had any issues with the Panthers recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.

Drew Payne

Points (Career)

02/27/25 @ Lincoln County	15
01/28/25 vs Calvary Baptist Academy	14
12/14/24 vs Cabell Midland	13
02/01/25 @ Fairmont Senior	12
01/24/25 @ Wayne	10

Sissonville's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Drew Payne led the charge by going 5-for-10 on his way to 15 points. Those 15 points gave Payne a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Luke Michael, who shot 57% from the field en route to 17 points and six rebounds.

Despite the loss, Lincoln County still got an impressive performance from Eli Smith, who went 9-for-22 to rack up 23 points and eight boards. That was a full 44.2% of Lincoln County's points, marking the fifth time in a row Smith has posted more than a third of the team's points. Lucas Johaim was another key player, putting up two points along with nine rebounds and five assists.

Sissonville's win bumped their record up to 6-15. As for Lincoln County, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost 13 of their last 14 matchups. That's put a noticeable dent in their 2-18 record this season.

Sissonville has already played their next game, a 57-44 victory against Nicholas County on the 4th. As for Lincoln County, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next contest, a 71-45 loss against Wayne on the 28th.