Lincoln caps perfect Division II season
LINCOLN — The regular season is over and now, finally, the Lincoln boys basketball team can begin the chase for the title it’s been pining for all season long.
Which title is the question.
The Lions won’t say. Lincoln (17-0) dominated Division II all season long and Friday’s game was no different. The Lions’ 58-41 win over Shea (13-4) was the perfect blend of good team defense, solid outside shooting and having perhaps the state’s best player flip a switch to take over a game that, once it was in the Lions’ grasp, they never let go of.
“It feels great, especially knowing we played great teams like Shea that tested us and made us battle every night,” said Wayne McNamara, after he poured in 29 points, 20 in the first half. “It’s awesome with my guys that work so hard in practice to finally cap off the [regular] season like this.”
Shea was exactly the test Lincoln needed at this time of the year. The Raiders and their seemingly infinite supply of immensely tall Ibidapo brothers — senior Manny, sophomore Isaac and freshman Elijah — and lightning quick guards give off the type of Division I vibe the Lions will face should they go on a deep run at the State Tournament.
On Friday, Lincoln kept Shea’s talented backcourt from penetrating while its bigs — or at least the Lions’ version took turns fronting the 6-foot-6 Manny Ibidapo, making him work harder in the paint. They boxed out the way you need to when you’re giving up height at every position. It was textbook team defense and the effort gave Lincoln some confidence it maybe didn’t know it needed.
“[Shea] is a unique team. You don’t see that much size so this was a test for us to see if we can play with a bigger team,” Lincoln’s Josh Bergeron said. “It showed tonight that we can.”
Offensively, McNamara took over the game. Lincoln led, 15-12, and the second quarter looked like coach Jeremy Wilner ran a play called “Let Wayne Take Over the Game And Dominate” because that’s exactly what the senior guard did in the second quarter.
He hit 3s. He got to the bucket. He hit free throws. He did what he wanted. While it seemed like McNamara could go for 50 just about every night, he doesn’t seem particularly interested in chasing individual records.
“Playing the game for a couple of years in high school, basketball is about picking and choosing the moments where I have to take over, but also recognize I have to find my teammates,” McNamara said. “They work just as hard as me on defense and I have to reward those guys who work hard.”
While Lincoln’s been powered by McNamara and Camden DiChiara, Bergeron ended up being the No. 2 scorer it needed on Friday. With McNamara slicing and dicing and Shea sticking tough on DiChiara, Bergeron took advantage of some open looks and knocked down four 3-pointers for a 14-point night.
Bergeron’s shooting is part of what has made the Lions so successful this winter and the “role” players all contributed in Friday’s win. Ace Cote was smart with the basketball in his hands and was a demon on defense. Gianni Pagios gave an equally impressive defensive effort and Austin Noel played maybe his best game of the season battling the Ibidapos.
Stars can carry teams, but these are the players that could carry Lincoln deep in the state tournament.
“We have to step up,” Bergeron said. “Wayne and Cam, when they’re battling, teams have game plans for just the two of them. As the other guys, we have to step up, play our roles, play the best we can and help the team and them to win.”
What Lincoln will win is the big question.
The Division II title? That’s on Lincoln’s list of things to do, but this may be the first time a team from one of the state’s lower divisions can say the state title is its top priority.
Lincoln has the stars to win a title. It has the role players who understand the job. It has the type of chemistry that can win a state title.
But the Lions aren’t thinking about that. Not yet.
“Our guys are just focused on winning games and playing hard basketball. It’s important that we win,” McNamara said. “However that unfolds in the state open or the D-II playoff bracket, however it happens we’re just focused on winning games.”
“D-II definitely matters because we want to get that under our belt, but we also want to make a deep run into the state tournament,” Bergeron said. “No D-II team has won it yet, so we’re hoping to be a possible winner.”
Is it possible? Yes.
But Lincoln won’t focus on that until after it takes care of the current task at hand.
“We love playing against good competition,” McNamara said. “It’s going to be great to play in the state open and have that opportunity and we look forward to it.”