Class 4A top-ranked Lincoln Christian girls continue to make a statement this season

By Mike Moguin 

Photo of Lincoln Christian players, from left, Kayli Atkinson, Audrey Hopkins, Ellie Brueggemann and Maddi Stewart

TULSA - Lincoln Christian got another test as a statewide top 5 team when it hosted Jones Saturday night, and the Lady Bulldogs passed with flying colors

The Lady Bulldogs recorded a 58-41 win, with four scorers finishing in double digits.

Ellie Brueggemann led the way for the Lady Bulldogs (18-1) with 14 points, Kayli Atkinson and Audrey Hopkins each logged 13, and Maddi Stewart posted 12.

“It’s awesome,” Lincoln Christian coach Melody Stewart said. “That’s what I like about this group of kids. It doesn’t matter who comes in to our gym or whose we go to.

"We have not had very many games where we have not played well against our opponent. We did a good job going to the boards and keeping them off the boards tonight.”

Kenlee Holman led Jones - the two-time defending Class 3A state champions - with 10 points.

The Lady Bulldogs, who are No. 1 in 4A by the OSSAA and No. 5 in the latest SBLive Oklahoma poll, have won games against highly-ranked opponents, including Norman and Bixby from the likes of 6A, along with 5A schools Sapulpa and Tulsa Will Rogers, as well as 4A Fort Gibson.

For Lincoln Christian to maintain that top spot in the OSSAA poll as well as other media sources, while increasing its chances of winning state, is consistency, Stewart noted.

“We've got to come in consistent every single day,” Stewart said. “Most people say you got to be consistent every game, and that’s great. But it’s important for us to come in and be consistent at practice every day.

"If we’re not practicing and get extra reps whenever it’s really tough and hard, when you’re really tired, then we’re surely not going to do that in a game. So I think being consistent coming in every game, with a sense of urgency, a sense of what we do, we just got to make sure we hold them accountable to that.”

Both teams battled with a hunger in Saturday's game, playing fierce defense and forcing the other into missed shots in the first half. That led up to the Lady Longhorns owning a 20-18 halftime advantage.

“We didn’t do a very good job of getting defensive stops and that’s a goal for us to get three stops in a row,” Stewart said. “We feel like if we can get three stops in a row, then we can get some transition going in our offense.”

But the second half belonged to Lincoln Christian, which came out with a vengeance and dominated the two-time defending Class 3A state champs in the third quarter, outscoring them 25-6.

The Lady Bulldogs were on fire. While they were hitting baskets on offense, it always had a defender underneath the glass ready to make a rebound while forcing Jones into missed shots with continued pressure, making blocks and forcing steals.

Lincoln even followed up a few takeaways with fast breaks.

“That was a big key for us in the third quarter, making sure that we get those kills like we wanted where we had three stops in a row. In the second half, we had six of those,” Stewart said. “In my world, that’s the difference. We get those stops on defense and we force them into doing something that they normally don’t have to do, it puts us into a position to play more fluid into offense.

“Our shooters came alive in the second half. We also made more free throws than what our opponent attempted. My kids settled in a little bit.”

Lincoln Christian had lost previous meetings to Jones, and the team had moved up to 4A in the offseason after the Lady Bulldogs advanced to the 3A semifinals a season ago.

In Saturday's rematch, Hopkins hit the go-ahead basket with a one-handed shot that put the Bulldogs up, 22-20, early in the third quarter.

A 3-point shot by Brueggeman concluded an 11-0 run for Lincoln Christian and it was 33-22. Maddi Stewart later hooked a lay-up and it was a 39-24 game.

The Lady Bulldogs ended the third period by extending their lead to 19 points, 45-26.