No. 1 Lincoln Christian passed its final regular season test, as the defending champs ran away from No. 3 Locust Grove in a state semifinal rematch on Monday night.

The Bulldogs (22-2) kicked it into another gear in the final regular season home game, thanks to some big plays by senior leadership and suffocating defense.

"It was a huge win for us and a great test going into the playoffs," said Lincoln head coach Melody Stewart. "I'm very excited about the trajectory that we are on as a team."

The Bulldogs have won 14 straight games — all by 17 or more. Lincoln has also won 40 straight home games and is 45-1 in the last 46 games on campus. 

"I think we are finally starting to find some rhythm now that we have everyone back healthy," Stewart said. "Which is really exciting for our team."

Lincoln also rolled in the regular season finale on Tuesday evening at Victory Christian, winning 78-33.

The Bulldogs begin their journey back through the playoffs on Saturday night, as Lincoln looks to repeat in Class 4A, while advancing to the program's 6th straight state tournament and 4th straight state title game.

Lincoln opens the playoffs in districts on Saturday night at Cascia Hall vs. Wagoner at 6 p.m.

LINCOLN 64, LOCUST GROVE 47

In what was a raucous environment for senior night, Lincoln slammed its foot on the pedal late to pull away from Locust Grove in a state semifinal rematch from last March.

Lincoln jumped out to an early 10-4 lead and led throughout, but Locust Grove hung tough and remained close, responding with a 12-6 run to trail by just three midway through the 2nd quarter.

The Bulldogs responded with six straight points and led 27-19 at half.

Lincoln opened the 3rd quarter with two straight buckets to push the lead to double-digits, but the Pirates had another run left.

A bucket by Locust Grove cut the lead to 32-25 midway through the 3rd before Lincoln responded again and led 41-31 heading to the 4th.

Seniors Alexis Leyva, Maddi Stewart and Kayli Atkinson made numerous plays down the stretch in the final regular season home game of their careers.

After Locust Grove cut it to eight at 43-35 with around six minutes to go, Lincoln pulled away, thanks to a big quarter by Leyva.

The Bulldogs went on a 17-4 run to go up 53-39 with under four minutes left and put the game out of reach.

Leyva led the way with 15 points, four assists, three blocks and two steals on 6-of-7 from the floor and 2-of-3 from deep.

Stewart had 10 points, six rebounds four assists and two steals, while Atkinson had 10 points, three assists and three steals.

Willoby had 10 points on 4-of-8 from the floor, while Jayla Albert had seven points, five rebounds and three steals.

Ivey Wheeler hit two big threes for Lincoln, who was 8-of-26 (31%) on the night.

Lincoln held Locust Grove to just 29% from the floor in the win and the Bulldogs forced 24 turnovers.

Lincoln had a 22-7 advantage in points off of, while also holding a 16-2 edge in transition scoring.

LINCOLN 78, VICTORY 33

The Bulldogs completely dominated on the road at Victory on Tuesday night to close out the regular season, rolling to a big win.

Lincoln got off to a fast start, opening the game on a 10-0 run and leading 24-5 after a quarter.

The Bulldogs led 34-7 midway through the 2nd quarter and 42-11 at halftime.

Lincoln held Victory to just 26% from the floor and 22% from three.

The Bulldogs forced 28 turnovers, resulting in a 31-2 edge in points off of.

Lincoln dominated inside, winning the battle in second chance points (18-5), points in the paint (56-4), offensive rebounds (27-4) and rebounds (51-23).

The Bulldogs also had a 27-2 advantage in transition scoring, while shooting 41% from the floor in the win.

Stewart led the Bulldogs with 13 points, 14 rebounds and four assists in the win. She had eight offensive rebounds in just 20 minutes.

Woodruff had 12 for Lincoln on 6-of-9 from the floor, along with three assists and three steals in 16 minutes.

Willoby had 11 points, three boards and three assists on 5-of-7 from the floor in just 14 minutes of action.

Freshman Laine Dooley had 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting, along with four rebounds and three steals in just 13 minutes of game time.

Leyva had six points, seven rebounds and four assists in the win.

Albert had seven and Atkinson had five for Lincoln.

Photos by Lee Talley