Lincoln County entered the Sweet 16 as the 12th region champs due to the Patriots being elite on defense. Head coach Jeff Jackson mainly uses a man-to-man defense, but it was a 2-3 zone that smothered Jeffersontown at Rupp Arena.
In the 45-41 win to start the Sweet 16 on Wednesday, the defense was the story of the game. The Patriots held a very efficient J’town offense to just 41 points in 54 possessions as the Chargers shot just 28.3 percent from the floor with a 2 of 19 mark from downtown. Meanwhile, 11 forced turnovers turned into 11 points for the Patriots.