Lincoln rolls over Tars in MAC Blue/Gold hoops tournament
People always say it’s not how you start, but how you finish.
Lincoln got out to a slow start against Anchor Bay on Tuesday night in their MAC Blue/Gold semifinal basketball game, but then the Abes turned their game up a notch and rolled to an 8639 win over the Tars.
“We played real well tonight,” Lincoln coach Wydell Henry said. “We shot the ball real well and it was perfect time for the state tournament. We want to be peaking for the state tournament.”
Anchor Bay hung with Lincoln over the first quarter, trailing 19-15 after one period.
“We wanted to control the tempo and we did that the first quarter and a half,” Anchor Bay coach Jay Seletsky said. “We hit some shots and moved the ball well. Defensively we rounded and we were competitive on the glass. But Lincoln’s length and athleticism eventually got to us. We didn’t handle their traps very well.”
The Abes took control in the second quarter, outscoring the Tars 23-7, gaining a 42-22 halftime lead. Markus Blackwell had 11 points in the frame.
“I try to monitor my guys with what they eat before a game and they ate some things they probably shouldn’t have, and came out a little sluggish,” Henry said. “It had to wear off and then we were ready to play.”
Lincoln put the game away in the third quarter, exploding to a 28-12 run, including nine points by Christopher Morgan, pushing its lead to 70-34.
Blackwell led the Abes with 21 points.
“Markus is one of the best sophomores in the state,” Henry said. “He’s only a sophomore and he and his twin brother Moses carry us,” Henry said. “Everybody can have their turn, though, so we tell them to play together and have fun out here.”
Morgan added 11 points for Lincoln, while Timarion Minor finished with 10 points.
“Timarion is a force inside,” Henry said. “He’s only a junior and will be back next year. He’s a football player, too, and is getting some Division I offers in football.”
The win improved the Abes’ record to 17-4 overall and moved them into Saturday’s championship game at Fitzgerald.
“We just have to become more dialed in with rebounding,” Henry said. “We have to limit teams to one shot, get the rebound, and get out and run.”
Anchor Bay was paced by Miguel Dealca and Drew Trappe with nine points each.
“The experience for Miguel and Drew banging around a little bit was good,” Seletsky said. “Hopefully they gained a little bit of confidence for the state tournament.”
The loss dropped the Tars’ record to 9-11 overall.
“When we execute and stick to the game plan like we did the first 12 minutes, we do some good things,” Seletsky said. “You have to go through lumps like this to make yourself better and I hope it makes us
stronger for districts.”
FITZGERALD 60, COUSINO 30
Fitzgerald advanced to play Lincoln in Saturday’s MAC Blue/Gold final. Fitzgerald is 9-11.
LAKEVIEW 68, CENTER LINE 61
Matthew Ritter had 23 points, seven assists and four steals as Lakeview advanced to the MAC Silver/Bronze championship game. Xavier Hassan had 17 points, six rebounds and four assists and Charrone Gordon added 16 points and eight rebounds for the Huskies, who will play Silver rival Madison in the final at Fitzgerald on Saturday. Keymon Wade scored 23 points and Cody Boling 15 for Center Line. Lakeview is 15-5.
MADISON 54, STERLING HEIGHTS 35
Keanu Mills scored 15 points and Damian Harvey Jr. 14 to send Madison to the MAC Silver/Bronze championship game. Corey Hana added eight points plus seven rebounds and four steals. Mills also had six rebounds, four steals and four assists and Harvey contributed five rebounds, four assists and two steals. The Eagles (12-8) play Lakeview at Fitzgerald on Saturday.
PORT HURON NORTHERN 91, ROSEVILLE 78
Tyler Jamison scored 38 points and added 17 rebounds and eight assists for Port Huron Northern in the MAC crossover game. Alex Jamison had 22 points and five assists and Cam Harju 16 points and five rebounds as the Huskies improved to 173. Anthony Scott scored 20 points and Jalen Mosley and Terry Partridge 19 apiece for Roseville (11-9).
ROMEO 64, DAKOTA 55
Aiden Tague scored 18 points and dished six assists and Tim Kewley and Manny Towne scored 14 points apiece to lead Romeo in the MAC crossover. Kewley had a double-double that included 13 rebounds, and he had six blocked shots.
CLINTONDALE 59, MARINE CITY 31
Shamar Riser-Pressley scored a game-high 28 points and completed a double-double with 14 rebounds to lead Clintondale. The Dragons are 10-10.
RICHMOND 67, NORTH BRANCH 38
Richmond improved to 10-1 in the Blue Water Area Conference with three games to play.
CROSWELL-LEXINGTON 74, ALMONT 51
Trey Kolakovich made five 3-point baskets and scored 24 points and Zach Kroetsch had two triples and 18 points for Croswell-Lexington in the BWAC game. Clay Roszczewski made four triples and scored 14 points for the Raiders. Croswell-Lexington is 11-1 and 17-3. Almont is 2-9 and 6-13.
Girls basketball
ARMADA 36, ALGONAC 33
Meya Drob scored 13 points, Ella Sutton eight and Darrah MacKenzie six to lead Armada to the BWAC victory. Ella Stephenson scored 12 points and Morgan Reams seven for Algonac. Armada is 12-8 overall.
GROSSE POINTE NORTH 53, REDFORD WESTFIELD PREP 41
Jenna Winowiecki scored 17 points and Sophia Borowski had 15 points, five rebounds, four steals and three assists to power Grosse Pointe North (18-2) to the non-conference victory. Layla Marshall scored 16 points and Kaylin Moorehead 10 for Westfield Prep.
Hockey
ST. CLAIR SHORES UNIFIED 6, GROSSE POINTE NORTH 3
Mikail Mowery scored two goals and Ben Cornwell had a goal and two assists to lead St. Clair Shores to the Division 2 regional victory at Mount Clemens Ice Arena. Anthony Olesky, Dylan Dzikowski and Brennen Lenk scored a goal apiece for the Lakers. William Young was the winning goalie. St. Clair Shores plays Grosse Pointe South in a regional semifinal.