Heartbreak and advancement: Lincoln basketball teams host SJS playoff double header

Defending home court was the only thing on Lincoln boys' and girls' basketball teams’ minds during their double-header playoff games at Lincoln High School.

The Trojans kicked off the first round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 1 playoffs with the girls hosting No. 12 seed Davis and the boys No. 10 Laguna Creek. They had defeated both opponents during preseason but things would be a bit different this go-round.

Lincoln girls basketball was upset by the Blue Devils losing a heartbreaker, 48-46. The boys' basketball team was able to salvage the rest of the night and pick up a 54-47 victory over the Cardinals.

“It's always tough watching like your family lose but at the end of the day still gotta get the job done,” said Anthony Moore, Lincoln boys basketball junior guard. “There wasn’t too much pressure obviously we were prepared for the game and we just stuck to the game plan and won.”

Winning the rebound match

With big bodies stretching throughout the paint clawing for every ball that bounced off the rim, rebounding took center stage in this rematch between Lincoln and Laguna Creek. The Cardinals were winning the 50/50 balls to start the match. This gave a brief lead until Moore locked in.

The 6-foot-6 guard snagged a team-high 14 boards yanking the ball from whoever stood in his way from the rebound. Six-footers, Isaiah "Zeke" Davis and Quentin Thompson were also crucial to the rebounding game combining for 12 rebounds. Lincoln would go on to out-rebound the Cardinals 32-27.

“We were a little off offensively tonight but when we missed shots we'd already be there for the second, third chance opportunities to get the rebound,” Moore said. “On the other side of the ball, we were limiting them to like one or two chances. So rebounding really helped control the game.”

Once the Trojans started winning the rebound battle the game was theirs. Moore led them offensively, scoring 18 points and knocked down free throws at the end of the game to put Laguna Creek away. Thompson added 14 points as Lincoln punched its ticket to the quarterfinals against No. 2 seed Monterey Trail on Feb. 16.

“A playoff win is a win,” said Anthony Matthews, Lincoln boys basketball head coach. “We’ve played Monterey Trail in a foundation game and they’ve had a great season. It’s gonna be a battle, especially going to their place.”

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‘This one hurts’

When Lincoln faced Davis earlier in the season it beat the Blue Devils with a dominating 50-33 finish. This put a chip on Davis’ shoulder in the first-round matchup and it held back nothing going up against the Trojans this time.

Leading the charge were seniors Alia Cordone and Tessa Schouten. Schouten scored 11 points before fouling out in the fourth quarter while Cordone led the Blue Devils with 14 points. Cordone’s final two points came at the foul line and would be the winning score after the Trojans’ comeback failed in the final seconds.

“We didn’t have Alia the first time we played Lincoln and she came back in January from an ACL tear that happened a year ago,” said Heather Highshoe, Davis girls basketball head coach. “So she's a big difference maker for us. She knocked down those free throws and I'm so happy for her.”

While the Blue Devils relished in their upset victory nothing but hung heads could be seen on the Lincoln bench. Head coach Christopher Roemer had to take a moment to gather himself before joining the rest of the Trojans in the locker room, gobsmacked by the fact that their season together was cut so short.

“I’m at a loss for words, this one hurts really bad,” Roemer said. “I think there were some nerves, you know it's a double-header we’re at home and anything can happen. I think we all know we were capable of playing better basketball, but once you get to the playoffs, every possession just everything matters.”

The Trojans close out the season with a 21-7 overall record and will graduate six seniors this spring.

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Record reporter Shannon Belt covers sports. She can be reached at sbelt@recordnet.com or on Twitter @ShannonBelt3. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.

This article originally appeared on The Record: Lincoln basketball teams host SJS Division 1 playoff double header