Lincoln Getting Back On Track
BROOKLYN, NY - Abraham Lincoln had a very trying first half of the season in the Brooklyn PSAL AA division, losing to the three top teams in the borough. In a quest to rise back up in the league, the Railsplitters need to defeat these three teams in their rematches. Step one took place on Tuesday as they squeezed past Paul Robeson, 53-52.
During the warm-up where teams are normally loosening up with lay-up drills, Lincoln head coach Dwayne “Tiny” Morton was on the court going through defensive strategies with the team. After the game, although Lincoln pulled out the win, Morton was still not happy, believing his team could’ve put the Eagles away in the first half. “These guys just don’t get it,” he said. “I don’t know what I’m gonna get outta these kids some days.”
As the game jumped off, the Railsplitters moved out in front 13-2 with a frenetic pace set off by an emphatic dunk by Kclejuan Ferguson (14 points) along with buckets from Cahiem Brown (14 points) and Rakym Felder (8 points). Robeson began to adjust to the up-tempo transition play of Lincoln and soon the game became a free-for-all.
Daquan Tomlinson (6 points) drained a three-pointer that sparked a Robeson run that closed the gap to 8 points to start the second quarter. With Israel Farrington battling on the boards and additional offense from Aquarn Butler (15 points), the Eagles further closed its deficit to five points. Basketball is a game of runs and Lincoln would initiate one midway through the second quarter. Brown and Felder teamed up to give the Railsplitters a 30-20 lead to begin the third. The lead grew to 14 point before Robeson recuperated. Butler drew a foul while netting a trey which quickly shaved the Eagles deficit back to ten.
Miles Myrick (4 points) powered to the hole while Isaac Kante (8 points) banged inside. A strong finish by Robeson pulled them to within 4 points as the final quarter began. Butler was aggressive to the rim and with 3:40 left to play tied the game at 46. Lincoln quickly regained their lead back but Keith Swinton (6 points) gave Robeson its first lead with 20.9 second left in regulation.
Ferguson would put Lincoln ahead for good off a feed from Felder. With 8.9 seconds left, Robeson was unable to counter in time.
Robeson head coach Todd Myles blamed the loss on the little things. “Missing lay-ups and chippy [stuff] lost us the game,” he said.
Lincoln needs to also defeat George Westinghouse on Thursday and Jefferson in February to avenge their three in-league losses in the first half of the season. Coach Morton said their is no strategy for his team right now as the Railsplitters struggle to come together and execute. "Whatever's working, I'm gonna take it," he said.
