Classic Battles Recalled From 2008-09

— Lincoln 2008-2009 girls basketball enjoyed some classic battles on the hardwood.

Lincoln 59, Gentry 55

Lincoln (11-2, 0-0 3A-1) rode the scoring of Hanna Perkins’ 17 points, along with Abby Smith’s 14 and 9 from freshman RaShelle Goldman to overcome a 47-43 deficit early in the fourth quarter and earn a 59-55 win at Gentry on Jan. 4, 2009.

That production was critical because the Lady Pioneers got 17 points from Kendra McCain and 14 from Courtney Millsap. Lincoln held a slim 56-55 lead with 24 seconds to go before Paczowski made 3-of-4 free throws to seal the win. Paczowski finished with 6 points, gamely coming back after crashing into the bleachers while battling for a loose ball early in the fourth.

Lincoln led 19-14 after one quarter and 29-28 at halftime. Gentry tied the game at 43-all going into the fourth. Lincoln held off Gentry down the stretch with the Lady Pioneers unable to tie or overtake the Lady Wolves in a tight game.

The teams met earlier in the season with the Lady Wolves taking a 68-61 win on Nov. 25, 2008.

Lincoln 52, Elkins 40

Lincoln (15-2, 3-0) used an 8-0 run to wipe out Gentry’s 3-2 lead

on the way to recording a 52-40 home-court victory over Elkins on Jan. 16, 2009. The Lady Wolves surged on 3-point goals from Perkins and Goldman with Smith on the bench in foul trouble.

Lincoln upped the tempo which generated an 11-1 run from the end of the first quarter until three minutes elapsed in the second, which gave the Lady Wolves a 32-21 halftime advantage. Perkins scored all 16 of her points in the first half including four 3-pointers to go with 7 rebounds and 2 steals.

Another 8- 0 run in the middle of the fourth quarter decided the outcome after Elkins cut the lead to 42-33. Smith answered, stretching the margin to 50-33.

Goldman added 15 points, 5 rebounds and 4 steals for Lincoln while Holly Dingledine led Elkins with 13 points and 6 rebounds.

Lincoln 44, Green Forest 33

Smith took her newly won Basketball Homecoming queen crown seriously on Jan. 23, 2009. She scored 17 points and pulled down 8 rebounds plus made 2 steals to lead Lincoln (16-3, 4-1) to a 44-33 victory over Green Forest.

The Lady Wolves didn’t shoot well from the perimeter, leading just 11-8 at the end of the first quarter. Smith asserted herself in the second pouring in 13 points to give Lincoln a 30-14 intermission lead.

Green Forest outscored Lincoln 14-2 in the third quarter to pull within 32-28, but Tonya Villines and Perkins came away with 2 steals apiece in the fourth quarter creating an 11-1 run. Villines finished with 10 points and 3 steals with Perkins adding 9 points, 4 rebounds and 4 steals.

Birkes noted the girls took some threes they weren’t hitting, but when they ran the offense Lincoln got the shots it wanted. Ten seasons later those type shooting games caused Goldman’s parents, Greg and Alicia, to begin tracking 3-point attempts, makes and shooting percentages. They utilized that data to improve shot selection for RaShelle’s younger sister, Jessica, and a 2019 Lady Wolves team that reached the Class 3A State quarterfinals.

Lincoln 29, Charleston 28

The highlight of the season occurred with Smith scoring on the low block in the waning seconds to knock off host, Charleston, 29-28, and win the Class 3A-Region 1 Tournament on Feb. 28, 2009.

The basket represented Lincoln’s only field goal of the fourth quarter which couldn’t have come at a better time for the Lady Wolves. Smith, who was named MVP of the Regional tournament, struggled making just 2-of-17 shots but canned the one that counted most. Lincoln ( 25-4) shot 10-of-42 as a team from the field.

Coming into the contest Birkes noted Charleston, which defeated Lincoln, 59-33, on Nov. 13, 2008, in the semifinals of the Gentry Classic, played good defense and anticipated points were going to be hard to come by.”

“We didn’t hit very many in the fourth quarter, but we hit the one that mattered,” Birkes told the Northwest Arkansas Times after the game.

Lincoln trailed by as many as seven points in a close game that featured six lead changes and five ties. The Lady Wolves came up big at the end of quarters. Perkins drained a 3-pointer at the end of the second quarter which gave Lincoln a 20-17 halftime lead. Goldman scored at the end of the third quarter to give Lincoln its largest lead of 27-23.

Both Perkins and Goldman were named to the All-Region team.

Centerpoint 56, Lincoln 49

The Regional championship gave the Lady Wolves a No. 1 seed going into the Class 3A State Tournament at Riverview High School in Searcy, a four hour drive from Lincoln.

Lincoln tipped off against Centerpoint on a Tuesday afternoon at 4 p.m. on March 3, 2009. The Lady Wolves were well-rested after spending the night in Searcy having arrived Monday, but were upset 56-49 by Centerpoint and Charleston went on to win the 2009 Class 3A State Championship.

Birkes hadn’t seen Centerpoint play prior to the game and relied on a couple of scouting reports. The first year Lincoln coach, who returned to his home town and high school from which he graduated in 1989, was more concerned about his squad executing their game plan than whatever wrinkles Centerpoint might come up with.

Greg Goldman, RaShelle’s father, remembers momentum swung against Lincoln in the second half, and the shots just wouldn’t fall for the Lady Wolves.

“They had a 16-point lead in the third quarter. It was just tough luck,” Greg Goldman said. “Deon used all of his time-outs. They just couldn’t stop the run.”

The Lady Wolves were eliminated after achieving one of the best seasons in school history.