LINCOLN PARK — There appears to be something special brewing with the Lincoln Park girls basketball program.
Heading into Friday’s Downriver League contest at home vs Wyandotte Roosevelt, Lincoln Park had already sported a 4-2 record and a modest two-game win streak. They also have already seen four of their six games be decided by single-digits, including their most recent win vs Ypsilanti Lincoln on Jan 6.And while those close calls can be nerve-wracking for coaches, Railsplitters head coach Scott Nagy takes a lot of stock in the long-term value they can bring.
“We’re starting to be in more close games,” Nagy said. “When you’re down by 20, there are nerves. Now that we’re starting to play in more of these tight games, we have to get used to playing with some nerves.”
Nagy unfortunately saw his young Lincoln Park team put themselves in a tight game on Friday vs Roosevelt. But as they had down two times already this season, they found a way to gut it out when it mattered most.
Despite a furious fourth quarter comeback attempt from the visiting Bears of Roosevelt, the host Rails continued their recent winning ways by hanging on for a 33-30 victory.
It’s a rather notable win for Lincoln Park, who has now won three in a row since the Covid-19 pandemic-condensed 2021 campaign. It’s back-to-back wins head-to-head vs Roosevelt after dropping seven consecutive meetings prior with the Bears.
In the grand scheme of things, the Rails now sit at 5-2 overall on the year, their best seven-game start to a campaign since the 2019-20 season. And while it wasn’t the cleanest of finishes on Friday, Nagy again reinforced the importance of being tested late.
“We’re moving in the right direction,” Nagy said. “The more we win them, the more confidence we gain. I would rather we, when we’re up eight or nine points, just pull away. But there is no replacement for these close games.”
It close in large part on Friday after Lincoln Park saw what was a 10-point lead going into the fourth quarter nearly evaporate completely in the waning moments of the game.
Roosevelt scored the first seven points of the fourth to get within a single possession at 28-25. A big three-pointer from Jayda King put the Rails back up two scores, only for the Bears to answer with five more unanswered points.
Roosevelt even had a chance to complete their comeback in the final seconds, but a turnover allowed for Lincoln Park’s King to race the other way for a lay-up with about five seconds to go in regulation. The Bears had one last three-quarter court heave from Annie Zieger that banked off the backboard as time expired.
“I just felt like we competed hard for four quarters,” Nagy said. “Even when things were going badly for us and we’re starting to melt down a bit, we stuck together and continued to compete.”
The late theatrics capped off what was otherwise a rather slow-developing first three periods of play on Friday. A series of lead changes saw neither side hold a lead of more than three points in the first half. That was until Lincoln Park started to create some separation with a 6-0 run midway through the third.
Roosevelt was held to just six points in each of the first three quarters on Friday. Both teams had difficulties getting into any sort of flow. A big reason was that for a slew of stoppages as a total of 34 fouls were called between the two clubs.
Bears head coach Madison Knapp acknowledged both her team’s own offensive woes as well as the stagnant pace of the game overall. She added that what Lincoln Park was doing defensively created problems for her bunch.
“There was certainly a lid on our side of the rim,” Knapp said. “But you can’t get into a rhythm, neither side could. We all felt it, the crowd felt it. You can’t play basketball like that.
“I think we got our composure back in the fourth quarter there,” Knapp continued. “But it was a little too late by then. That’s on all of us, the coaches and the kids. (Lincoln Park) did what they wanted to do, they sped us up and we played out of character.”
The aforementioned sophomore Jayda King led all scorers in the game with nine points, all of which came after halftime. Lincoln Park also got eight points from King’s classmate Logan Edwards as well as seven points each from senior Jasmine Washington and freshman Rachelle Martinez.
Zieger scored all eight of her team-high points in the second half. Nagy, who called Zieger the “most talented player” in the Downriver League, said bottling up the senior and former two-time all-News-Herald was a point of emphasis for his team on Friday.
Roosevelt elsewhere got six points from sophomore Sophia Toboy, five points from senior Emma Jordan, and four points from another sophomore in Bella Barron.
UP NEXT
Both Lincoln Park (5-2, 3-2 DRL) and Roosevelt (2-5, 2-2 DRL) will face Trenton in their next respective games. Roosevelt will face the Trojans first next Tuesday, Jan 13 before Lincoln Park does so a few days later on Jan 16.
Friday’s outcome was the fourth straight loss overall for the Bears, who prior to their pair of games this week had not played since before Christmas. Knapp said she is welcoming being back in a regular pattern with the holidays behind them.
“It’ll be greatly appreciated,” Knapp said. “I hope these girls appreciate it too because we’ll be coming for revenge. We still have a lot of games to go.”
Photo gallery of Wyandotte Roosevelt vs Lincoln Park in a DRL girls basketball battle
