Lincoln holds off determined effort by Sophie B. Wright, 65-61

With a storied history and talented players, Lincoln High of Brooklyn, New York figured to be one of the teams to beat in the Allstate Sugar Bowl Basketball Tournament. That reputation is looking solid.

The Railsplitters rallied from a halftime deficit to overcome Sophie B. Wright 65-61 in the quarterfinals of the tournament at the Alario Center Thursday afternoon.

Lincoln came out fast, sprinting to a 14-4 lead but the Warriors closed the quarter on an 11-0 run, sparked by Greg Hammond and the bench play of Prince Campbell to take a 15-14 lead. Hammond had seven points while Campbell had five.

Lincoln opened the second quarter quickly to take a 21-17 lead but Sophie B. Wright answered with an 8-0 run and took a 31-27 lead into halftime. Hammond had 11 points in the half while Campbell had nine. The Railsplitters committed 11 turnovers in the half.

Lincoln took control in the third quarter, going on a decisive 13-0 run to take a 46-35 lead and led 48-40 by the end of the period. Jasiah Lewis had seven points in the quarter for the Railsplitters, who forced seven turnovers by the Warriors.

Sophie B. Wright (17-4) rallied to start the fourth quarter to tie the game 50-50 but could never regain the lead. The Railsplitters went on a decisive 7-0 run to take a 62-53 lead and held on the victory.

“I thought we played with a little more intensity and detail in the second half,” said Lincoln head coach Dwayne Morton. We made free throws down the stretch but we can shoot them better. Turnovers were a big issue for us which we have to clean up.”

KC Wu Ndefo led Lincoln with 17 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks. Curtis Gordon had 11 points while Josh Wilson and Isaiah Lewis each had 10 points. Wilson added six rebounds and five assists.

Campbell came off the bench to score 22 points with six rebounds for the Warriors, Hammond had 19 and Damiree Burns finished with 15 points, 12 rebounds and five assists in a strong performance.

“We played hard but we didn’t play well enough at the right times,” said Sophie B. Wright head coach Jason Bertrand. “I liked our effort but we had too many turnovers in the second half. We can play better.”

Lincoln (10-1) advances to face the winner of the Riverside-University High contest in the semifinals Friday at 7 p.m.

“We have to improve our execution moving forward and being in the right place at the right time,” Morton said.

Final
Lincoln (NY) 14 13 21 17 65
Sophie B. Wright 15 16 9 21 61

Scoring
Lincoln—KC Wu Ndefo 17, Curtis Gordon 11, Jasiah Lewis 10, Josh Wilson 10, Phillip Harris 10, Terrence Roberts 7,

Sophie B. Wright—Prince Campbell 22, Gregory Hammond 19, Damiree Burns 15, Charlie Russell 3, Jerome Anthony 1, Scorey Holmes 1