The Lincoln Christian girls basketball team started its title defense the same way it earned the gold ball, as the Bulldogs used suffocating defense to open the season with three wins at the Bixby Invitational.

Lincoln took home the tournament title with three wins over the weekend in Bixby, as the Bulldogs held opponents to just 82 combined points.

The Bulldogs opened with a 78-7 win over Jenks JV on Thursday afternoon, before earning a hard-earned 45-36 (6A) Choctaw team on Friday in the semis.

Lincoln then avenged one of two losses last season by getting out to a big lead in the finals on Saturday night against Northside Fort Smith and holding on 51-39 to take home the title.

"What a great way to open the season," head coach Melody Stewart said. "We went 3-0 this weekend and two big wins — one over a top 6A Oklahoma team, Choctaw, and another over the defending 6A state champions out of Arkansas."

The Bulldogs leaned on its defense to start the year, which is something Stewart was pleased to see to start the season.

"It took us a bit to settle in and find some rhythm, but by the championship game you could really see flashes of the version of this team we know we can be — connected, unselfish, and playing with real chemistry on both ends of the floor," Stewart said.

The Bulldogs really ramped things up in the championship game, jumping out to a 30-6 lead late in the first half.

"That final game also gave us a clear picture of the areas we still need to improve, and that's exactly what early-season games are for," Stewart said. 

Senior Maddi Stewart was named the Tournament MVP, while fellow classmate Alexis Leyva was also named to the all-tournament team.

"I'm incredibly proud of our girls and the effort they put in this weekend," said Stewart. "We had to dig deep into the bench across multiple games, and every kid stepped up when called upon."

Lincoln is back in action tomorrow when the Bulldogs host Metro Christian in the home opener before playing an out-of-state contest against powerhouse Staley (MO) this weekend.

"This week we continue to challenge ourselves with two more tests — Tuesday's conference matchup against Metro Christian, and then a trip to Springfield, MO on Thursday night to prepare for a Friday game against one of the top teams in Missouri," Stewart said.

The Bulldogs have won 26 straight games dating back to last season. Lincoln is 86-8 since the start of the 2022-23 season.

LINCOLN 78, JENKS JV 7

Lincoln overpowered a Jenks JV team in the opening round on Thursday, as the Trojans were outmatched from start to finish in the season-opening win.

The Bulldogs forced 37 turnovers and jumped out to a 31-0 lead before Jenks finally scored midway through the second quarter.

Lincoln had 51 points off turnovers and 33 points in transitions. The Bulldogs also had 21 second chance points and 40 points in the paint.

Leyva had 20 points to lead Lincoln. She also finished with six rebounds, four steals and two assists.

Kayli Atkinson had 19 for Lincoln, along with a team high nine deflections.

Stewart was everywhere for the Bulldogs, finishing with eight points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and four steals. 

Azariah Woodruff had 12 for Lincoln, along with five steals.

Jayla Albert had seven, Niya Willoby had six and Ivey Wheeler had five for the Bulldogs.

Lincoln led 52-3 at half and 74-3 through three quarters.

LINCOLN 45, CHOCTAW 36

In a back and forth contest throughout the first half, it was an early 3rd quarter run that gave Lincoln some breathing room in a hard-fought win over Choctaw in the semis.

After Choctaw tied the game 18-18 early in the 3rd, Lincoln responded with an 8-0 run to stretch the lead back out.

Lincoln took a 30-25 lead into the 4th and the lead never got closer than that.

The Bulldogs held Choctaw to just 29% from the floor, while Lincoln shot 41% as a team.

Stewart had a game-high 20 points and added six rebounds, while Leyva had 19 points, seven boards and three assists.

The two combined to shoot 11-of-18 from the floor, 3-of-6 from three and 14-of-18 from the foul line.

Lincoln had a 16-8 advantage in the paint.

The Bulldogs led 11-5 after the 1st and 15-7 midway through the 2nd before the Yellowjackets made their run.

LINCOLN 51, NORTHSIDE 39

The Bulldogs started fast and cruised against the defending 6A champions from Arkansas on Saturday night in the championship game.

Lincoln opened the game on a 21-4 run and led 30-6 midway through the 2nd quarter.

The Bulldogs defense was tenacious, as the Bears never got it back within single digits for the remainder of the game.

Lincoln forced 22 turnovers and had a 15-2 advantage in points off of takeaways.

The Bulldogs shot 42% as a team and were also 7-of-16 (44%) from three in the win.

Lincoln led 18-4 after a quarter and held a 34-17 edge at halftime.

Stewart led the way with 18 points, four rebounds and four steals.

Woodruff had seven points, five boards and two steals.

Leyva had just six points, but added five rebounds and five steals in the win.

Albert had six, Willoby had five, Wheeler had four, Atkinson finished with three and freshman Laine Dooley had two.