Lincoln fell behind and was unable to catch fire down the stretch, as the Bulldogs season came to an end on Thursday afternoon in the 3A state quarterfinals, falling to Cascia Hall 66-50.

Cascia made a late push before half to lead 27-19, and the Commandos kept the foot on the gas in the 3rd and 4th quarters, as Lincoln was unable to get closer than nine points in the 2nd half.

Senior guard Derek Stokes led the way for Lincoln in his final game, scoring 17 points on 5-of-10 from the floor and 3-of-6 from three.

Another senior, Grayson Hampton, saved one of his better games in his career for his finale, as he poured in 14 points and added seven rebounds on 5-of-8 from the floor and 4-of-6 from three.

Fellow senior guard Isaiah Campbell had 10 in his final game as a Bulldog

Hampton's hustle and shooting, along with Stokes play-making, leadership and scoring kept Lincoln somewhat alive in the second half.

But Cascia's dynamic duo of guards in Memphis Duffie and Dallas Lowe were too much to overcome. 

Lowe had a game high 22 points and 12 rebounds, while Duffie finished with 17 points, five assists and four rebounds.

Lincoln (20-11) battled early, as the Bulldogs trailed just 10-8 after a quarter.

The Bulldogs had it to within four at 22-18 late in the 2nd quarter before Cascia scored five to close the half.

The Bulldogs were down 10 heading into the 4th before trailing by as many as 19 in the final quarter.

Lincoln had 15 turnovers in the loss.

It was the Bulldogs' first trip to state since 2017, led behind the stellar play of Stokes, Hampton, Campbell and other senior Cannon Williams, who had seven rebounds in Thursday's loss.

Freshman Parker McDaniel, the leading scorer in 2024-25, was a huge piece in Lincoln's successful season, scoring over 30 on eight different occasions in his first varsity season.

McDaniel, who was sick earlier in the week, was limited to just seven points on 3-of-10 from the floor and 0-of-4 from three in the quarterfinal matchup.