After a tough loss on Tuesday at Holland Hall, No. 7 Lincoln bounced back in a big way, setting a season-high in points scored in a big win on Friday at Metro Christian.
Lincoln (15-7) fell 36-33 in a tough, grind-it-out type of matchup on Tuesday at rival Holland Hall.
However, the Bulldogs made up for it offensively with a huge performance on Friday.
Lincoln went on the road to Metro and poured in 17 threes, overwhelming the Patriots in an 85-58 win.
The Bulldogs will be challenged during their final three games, as Lincoln faces three ranked opponents to close out the regular season.
Lincoln will be at No. 3 Cascia Hall on Tuesday, looking for a season-sweep of the Commandos.
The Bulldogs will return home for the final two games, first on Friday to host No. 16 (4A) Victory Christian. Lincoln won at Victory earlier this season in January and will be looking for another sweep this weekend.
Lincoln will close out the regular season by hosting No. 2 Crooked Oak on Monday, Feb. 17.
HOLLAND HALL 36, LINCOLN 33
The Bulldogs had a tough time scoring last Tuesday, as the game came down to the final minutes and Holland Hall made some big plays late to take down the Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs trailed for the entirety of the game, until freshman Parker McDaniel drained a corner three off a beautifully designed play.
McDaniel inbounded the ball under Lincoln's basket and came off a great screen from Chase Jobe, catching the pass on the swing from Isaiah Campbell for the open look.
The triple made it 33-31 with 2:36 to go.
But after several empty possessions, Holland Hall tied it with a layup at the 1:24 mark.
The Dutch held Lincoln on the following possession, before drilling a go-ahead three from in front of the Holland Hall bench with 26 seconds to go.
McDaniel's attempt at the buzzer came up short.
"We let them dictate tempo and only took 39 shots," said Lincoln head coach Jonathan Hopkins. "Part of me was content with playing a low-scoring, grind it out type of game because we will have to win a game or two like that in playoffs. However, after watching it and reflecting, I felt like we were playing too tight."
Lincoln shot just 30% from the floor as a team, including 3-of-16 from three.
"It wasn't just the three or four turnovers that we had in the final two minutes after getting a lead, it was our shooting percentage. All of our players have roles. So there are limitations in what they are allowed to do, but all of them are good shooters."
"However, shooters can't shoot to the best of their ability if they're tight. We got away from being who we were early in the season and what had made us successful."
Lincoln had 13 turnovers and scored just three fast break points.
"Holland Hall had played a big part in taking us out of what we are used to doing," he said. "So I give them a ton of credit. However, we spent Wednesday and Thursday getting back to our team fundamentals, and it paid off in the Metro game."
McDaniel led the way with 17 points and eight rebounds. Seniors Derek Stokes and Cannon Williams each added six in the loss.
LINCOLN 79, METRO 39
The Bulldogs looked like a different team on Friday night at Metro, as Lincoln rained threes from start to finish on the Patriots, bouncing back in a big way.
Lincoln made a season-high 17 threes, shooting 48% from downtown as a team in the win.
"We played with great pace and shot the ball as good as any team I've coached," said Hopkins. "Obviously, when shots are falling, everyone looks better, and everyone is having more fun. It was kind of like a snowball effect, the more fun we were having, the better we shot."
The Bulldogs led from start to finish, although Metro kept it close throughout the first half.
Lincoln led 11-2 early, before a Metro run cut the lead to 14-12 late in the 1st.
The Bulldogs stretched the lead out to 22-15 heading to the 2nd, before Metro battled, trailing just 30-27 late in the 2nd quarter.
But a 12-6 run to close the half put Lincoln up by nine heading into the locker room.
And the Bulldogs came out hot.
Lincoln scored 29 points in the 3rd, as numerous Bulldogs were knocking down outside shots.
"It was good to see the guys play with a high level of concentration while still being loose and having fun," Hopkins said. "Hopefully we can keep that snowball rolling the next couple of weeks and into the playoffs."
Lincoln all-of-a-sudden led 71-48 heading into the 4th, where they pushed the lead even further to close the game out.
McDaniel had his 5th 30-point game of his freshman campaign, pouring in 32 points on 11-of-18 from the floor and 7-of-11 from three. He also had six boards.
Stokes had 14 points and four assist for Lincoln, while Williams had one of his best games as a Bulldog, adding 13 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
Campbell and senior Grayson Hampton each had nine for Lincoln, as both knocked down three triples.
Lincoln held Metro to just 38% from the floor. The Bulldogs also had a 19-2 advantage in fast break points and a 10-2 edge in second chance scoring.
Photos by Lee Talley
