Written by Teacher/Coach Mark McCann

T

he Lincoln Varsity Boys Basketball team has faced its fair share of challenges this year.  Loaded with talent and ranked second in San Diego County, the toughest opponents thus far for the Hornets have been themselves. This kind of adversity pushes teams to either come together, or fold under the pressure.

On their game against 11th ranked Francis Parker last Wednesday, Lincoln didn’t fold.

The Hornets got down early as Francis Parker came out hot in the first half.

Down by 12 at the end of the first quarter, Lincoln battled back to win the second quarter. Going back and forth as if in a heavyweight title fight, the Hornets kept fighting, though Francis Parker kept making big shots. With two minutes left, senior forward Victor Dean scored a lay-in and got fouled swinging the momentum in Lincoln’s favor. After making the free throw, Dean, who ended with 18 points, extended Lincoln¹s lead to six.

With Lincoln up by two, a Francis Parker player made a lay-in and was fouled. He finished the three-point play giving Francis Parker an 81-80 lead, as Lincoln called timeout to draw up the game’s final play.

With 6.2 seconds left and the Hornets down 1, they needed to go the length of the floor. Junior guard, Norman Powell, caught the inbound pass and drove up the left side of the floor. He made one move and looked up to check the clock. “I knew I had Tyree (Robinson who scored a game high 24) in the corner, but when they didn¹t help off him, I saw the bucket and went for it,” Powell said after the game. With time winding down, Powell leapt, extending the ball with his left hand to lay it in, scoring the final 2 of his 18 total points.

“If it didn¹t go in, I was there ready to dunk it,” Victor Dean commented. Dean’s help wasn’t necessary. The ball bounced off the backboard and rolled in as time expired giving Lincoln the heart-stopping 82-81 win.

“This was a good win in a tough gym. We defended well as a team in the second half and that got us the win,” head coach Jason Bryant stated. “Winning like this can really bring a team together, and that’s important as we start getting closer to playoffs.”

The Hornets are now 19-2 (10-0 in league), playing Scripps at the hive Thursday February 11 at 7:30 p.m., and at Saints on Tuesday, February 16^th at 5:00 p.m.