BRESLIN BOUND
Lincoln earns spot in state semifinals with win over Goodrich
Wydell Henry and the Lincoln Abes never forgot how they felt on March 10, 2023.
With a five-point loss to Michigan Collegiate, they fell short of making it to the MHSAA final four at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. After feeling like they were the top team in Division 2, their season ended before they had a chance to prove it.
They held onto that feeling. They coined the term “Breslin or bust” for the new season. They talked about it at church, over dinner and at practice, where the will to succeed pushed them to do one extra rep and one extra drill.
It’s all part of why Henry was emotional after his Abes beat Goodrich 61-42 on Wednesday to punch their tickets for East Lansing.
“It was Breslin or bust for us,” Henry said. “My guys stayed together. We stayed with it. I’m a little emotional. Been working at it for a minute, man. I’m just happy for my team. We’ve been working hard all year. To finally get there is a great feeling.”
Henry said that, when they lost last season, the Abes weren’t playing their style. And when Goodrich scored 18 points in the first quarter at Lake Orion High School in Tuesday’s Division 2 state quarterfinal, he had to reel them back in and get Lincoln back to who they are.
“We practice on just checking,” Henry said. “Going back to where we started. Our identity — checking. We speed up the game a lot against teams we think we can press. We thought we could pressure them (Goodrich). Their coach did a good job of spreading the floor, going over top. We had to go back to
what we know. Basic. Get up in your man, check up, ball side and my guys did a good job of it.”
After surrendering 18 points to the Martians in the first, Lincoln allowed only eight, three and nine points in the final three quarters, respectively.
Meanwhile, the points kept coming. Junior guard Markus Blackwell finished with a game-high 23 points, making five 3-pointers. Fellow junior Chris Morgan hit from range three times, finishing with 13 points.
Overall, nine different Abes scored.“We deserve it,” Morgan said. “How much work we put in behind closed doors, it’s a feeling we already knew was coming.
“It feels real good knowing I’m playing on Friday. My seniors, it’s my last time playing with them. It feels really good to get this far.”
The victory built onto what was already an all-time great season for the Abes. They recently won their first-ever regional championship, and now will have a chance to go further with a potential state championship.
It’s all part of a vision that Henry has had since taking the Lincoln job in 2018 after leaving his previous job at Pershing.
“I’m a little passionate because when I took the job, I said I was going to do this,” Henry said. “That was my goal, to get this program to what we have now. We’re there, and now we have to go finish the job.”
The next team in the Abes’ way is Powers Catholic, a 22-5 team out of Flint. The Chargers defeated Kingsford 81-77 on Tuesday to reach the state semifinals.
Tip-off from Michigan State’s Breslin Center will be Friday, March 15 at 5:30 p.m.
“When you’re lifting weights and you’re running and jumping chairs and doing all those things, (the players) don’t understand what that’s about,” Henry said. “But they do it and do it the right way. End of the season, they’ll know what’s going on.
“This team is about going to the Breslin, and we’re going to the Breslin this weekend to play for the championship.”