Lincoln’s win validates state Open Tournament concept
PROVIDENCE — Monday night’s Elite 8 game was a perfect illustration.
This is why the Interscholastic League conducts open state basketball tournaments. Any strawman arguments about who might be the best team are left at the door. It’s decided on the court.
Lincoln made its case in impressive fashion. The undefeated champions from Division II ousted Bishop Hendricken, ending the latest Hawks reign, 74-53. The Murray Center turned into something of a playground for the Lions, who started on a 9-0 run and led throughout.
“We wanted to stay humble, but we also know we’re champions,” said Lincoln guard Cam DiChiara, who scored 25 points. “We were 25-0 for a reason.
“Just because they’re a Division I team that’s won however many tournaments in the past, that doesn’t mean they’re the better team this year.”
This concept was immediately validated upon its adoption for the 2010-11 season. Tiverton upset its way to the first title round against St. Raphael, knocking out La Salle, Hendricken and Central along the way.
The late Gunnar Bjornson, Ben Bergandy and their teammates flew the flag for the little guys — only the Saints and a Most Valuable Player performance from Charles Correa denied them the ultimate breakthrough.
“The whole point of this tournament is to find the best team in the state,” DiChiara said. “That doesn’t always have to be a Division I team. That’s our goal this year — to prove that we’re the best.”
DiChiara’s 3-pointer from the left corner had the Hawks taking a timeout after just 2:35. Lincoln wobbled a couple of times against a Hendricken zone defense in the second quarter but settled down after Josh Bergeron nailed a 3pointer from the right wing. He hit on a similar shot midway through the third quarter and a 40-30 lead was never seriously threatened the rest of the way.
“It’s energy, effort, execution,” Lincoln coach Jeremy Wilner said. “We want to throw that first punch, and then we’ll take care of the basketball from there. They’ve bought into that.”
DiChiara and fellow senior Wayne McNamara make a brilliant pair. They went 20-for-31 from the field. McNamara led with a game-high 26 points and passed Tom Coulombe for a career program record in scoring. The Lions shot 58% while following their strong example.
“They can play at any level throughout the state,” Wilner said. “They’re two phenomenal players.”
McNamara connected on seven straight field-goal attempts during one stretch in the second half. His 3pointer from out high was effectively the dagger as Lincoln took a 63-48 cushion with 4:01 to play. The Lions coasted to the finish line from there, the hard work already done through the opening 28 minutes.
“Not really a secret,” DiChiara said. “We just put in the work every single day. We try to win every single day whether it’s a game or practice.”
That first state tournament bracket more than a decade ago was blown wide open when North Providence upset Cranston West. Somebody forgot to tell Austin Van Bemmelen and the Division II champions that they were supposed to go quietly against the field’s top seed.
The Lions will face a similar challenge on Saturday when they battle Classical, a team that hasn’t dropped an in-state game this season and held off East Providence, 80-73.
“I want to see them,” said Classical guard Azzy Harrison, who piled up a game-high 32 points for the Purple. “They’re the team to beat. They have a lot of hype around their name.”
North Smithfield was a perfect Division III champion in 2012-13 and gave the Purple everything they could handle in a semifinal meeting at the Ryan Center. Classical won that game and the next one against North Kingstown, walking away from the University of Rhode Island with the Open championship. The Hawks denied Division II runner-up Shea in the 201617 Open title game, prevailing over a talented roster that included Abdul Ajia and Erickson Bans.
What will happen this weekend? That’s the fun of it — we don’t need to wonder. The next 32 minutes will tell us all we need to know. bkoch@providencejournal.com
On X: @BillKoch25