Lincoln Shocks Jackson in King Holiday Hoopfest

Lincoln Shocks Jackson in King Holiday Hoopfest
By Steven Dion

Steve Johnson’s Timberwolves do not lose often. Heading into the 2014 King Holiday Hoopfest matchup against the Lincoln Abes, the Wolves had only lost one of its last forty games. Unfortunately, that lone defeat was the 2013 4A state championship game against Curtis. The Abes from Tacoma were eager to square off with the defending 4A Wesco champs. Who could have predicted the lone freshman in the contest would rise to the occasion and grab the win for their team?

The familiarity between these squads was evident as Lincoln was prepared to outrun Jackson in this contest. The Timberwolves “Big 3” of Jason Todd, Dan Kingma, and Brian Zehr are smooth operators in the halfcourt attack and play gritty defense. However, the senior trio were outmatched athletically against the likes of Josiah Barsh, Cameron Collins, and Justice Martion who were effective in transition from the opening tip. The Abes picked up a double digit lead after one quarter leading 20-10. The 2012-2013 player of the year in Todd was not going to allow his team to fall further behind. The Wolves senior leader used his muscular frame to earn shots from underneath the bucket. This resulted in field goals and trips to the line. His ten points in the second frame were key in tying up the ball game at 27 heading into the half.

The level of intensity rose in the third quarter as every possession resulted in momentum shifts and team confidence moving forward. The Twolves moved the ball well in the perimeter, but did not convert enough opportunities to pull away from their 3A counterpart from Tacoma. The fourth quarter is when Londrell Hamilton made a statement. The freshman buried a triple early in the quarter which opened the floodgates for his scoring. Jackson’s Kingma and Connor Willgress fouled out midway through the final frame and Hamilton capitalized. He scored two huge buckets in the final minutes after defensive stops. The Abes grabbed the lead and did not look back. Londrell’s nine points in the fourth led a 25 point fourth quarter for Lincoln. When the buzzer sounded, the Abes celebrated a 62-55 victory.

Top Performers:
Lincoln
Londrell Hamilton – 12 points (9 in 4th quarter)

Jackson
Jason Todd-Jackson-22 points (13/15 FT’s)