Lincoln Christian shocks Bixby (6A,#2) in a thrilling overtime battle, beating the Spartans 47-44 to win the program's first Tournament of Champions championship. 

The Bulldogs had a fight to get into the championship game, beating the 5A #1 ranked Sapulpa Chieftains 59-54. Lincoln was dynamite on offense, as freshman Maddi Stewart led the team with 19 points while Ellie Brueggemann followed suit with 17 points. Audrey Hopkins dominated the paint, putting up 11 points and 13 rebounds for an unbelievable double-double. 

Although Lincoln appeared to try and slow the tempo to begin the championship game, Bixby still jumped ahead to a quick 7-2 lead over the Bulldogs. Lincoln then responded well however, going on a ridiculous 16-3 run fueled by multiple scores from Maddi Stewart and three pointers from Roberts, Rea, and Brueggemann. Stewart led the quarter in points with 7, while Ellie Brueggemann, Adyson Roberts and Payton Rea notched 3 points each. After the first quarter, Lincoln led the Spartans 18-10. 

Bixby Started the second quarter determined to close the gap, going on an 11-0 run backed by multiple three point makes by the Spartans. Struggling to find opportunities to score, Lincoln attacked the basket and turned to free throws. After another Bixby three point make, the Spartans headed to the locker room with a 24-21 lead over the Bulldogs. 

The Spartans continued to roll at the start of the third quarter, hitting two straight shots from behind the arc to boost their lead to 30-21. Staring at a 24-32 deficit the Bulldogs roared back, using multiple three pointers from Stewart and Brueggemann to make a 8-2 run at the end of the quarter. Heading into the fourth, Bixby held a tight lead over Lincoln 34-32. 

An immediate bucket from Audrey Hopkins tied the game at 34-34, which set the stage for a fierce back-and-forth between the Bulldogs and Spartans. A quick 6-0 run by Bixby briefly kept the distance between the two teams, with the Spartans taking a 42-38 lead. Back-to-back Maddi Stewart buckets tied the game however, giving Lincoln the chance to win the game on a last second shot. With time running out, Stewart barely missed the mark on an athletic putback attempt that would've given the Bulldogs the win. After four quarters, Lincoln and Bixby were headed to overtime locked at 42-42. 

After winning the tipoff, the Bulldogs quickly established their commanding tempo, using patience to get the best shot they could. A crucial steal by Audrey Hopkins gave Lincoln the ball back, and eventually led to Ellie Brueggemann coming through with a clutch corner three pointer to give the Bulldogs the lead. Bixby would then employ the foul game, which led to Maddi Stewart hitting two free throws to put Lincoln up 47-42. A steal and bucket by Bixby minimized the Lincoln lead to three, but in the end it was too much to overcome for the Spartans. When the buzzer sounded, Lincoln had won the Tournament of Champions championship game 47-44. 

The stat leaders for the Bulldogs were freshman Maddi Stewart with 20 points (1st 20+ game of the season) and 5 rebounds, senior Ellie Brueggemann with 11 points and 3 rebounds and sophomore Audrey Hopkins with 7 points and 9 rebounds. Lincoln won both the rebounding and free throw battles, winning rebounds 23-16 and hitting 8 free throws versus the Spartans 2. This win gave Lincoln their first championship in the Tournament of Champions, reaching that feat in only their second year a part of the field. The Bulldogs will head back to conference play on January 3rd, where they will take on the Metro Patriots.

Written by LCS Student Writer, Luke Foster