…And Then There Were Four

Lincoln Prep triumphed at their Varsity Boys Basketball game against Gilbert Classical Academy in a narrow victory that defied what seemed like impossible obstacles, ending the game in overtime, 59-57 with only 4 players left on the court.

Longtime coach and Lincoln Prep faculty member, Aaron Foshie, told us that the team has 10 players on their varsity roster. One of the players broke his arm in practice over winter break. Senior captain, AJ Hampton, took a fall late in a game they had the previous night and was ruled out of this game. And lastly, a swing player was hurt playing in the JV game earlier in the evening, leaving the team with only 7 players at tipoff.

“I told our players to not look at the scoreboard in the first half, and to just focus on playing harder than GCA. I thought we did a good job of that for the most part, and at halftime I reminded them of that goal and that we need to double down on that effort in the second half,” said Foshie.

It came as a bit of a blow to the team when 3 of their players were fouled out during the second half. “When we got down to only 4 players, I just told the guys that I was proud of their effort to this point, and that win or lose, this is a win for our program on the day.” Foshie said they sometimes do 4v5 defensive drills in practice to work on scrambling and rotating as well. One of the remaining players asked how they should cover one of their scoring actions during overtime, to which Coach Foshie candidly responded, “I’m not sure. I have never tried it with four guys on defense. You guys will just have to talk on the floor and make a decision in the moment.”

Foshie said his players really stepped up in the absence of their senior leader and excelled when given their opportunity. “I have never been a part of anything like this before. Torey Williams went the length of the court and hit a three [pointer] at the buzzer to tie it and send it to overtime. Then, with playing 4 on 5 in overtime, we took two charges that totally changed the momentum of the game. We were down both a player and [a point] on the scoreboard, but it did feel like we were the team making the winning plays down the stretch.” He was proud of their togetherness and focus as they got a stop at the end of overtime that led to the winning free throws.

“The atmosphere was crazy,” added Foshie. “When the final buzzer sounded our students rushed the floor, and that was a nice moment for our players to enjoy with their peers. We had a good number of teachers there as well, and it was so great to hear teachers and students talking about the game all day on campus the next day.”

 

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“I am proud of our team for handling their emotions in such a high-stress environment, and for sticking together in the face of adversity. It was just a great night of high school basketball as both teams and players were playing hard and honoring the game,” said Foshie. “Gilbert Classical and Coach Hatcher do an excellent job with their program, and it is always fun matching up with them because there is never any extra stuff between coaches or players. It is just basketball.”

Coach Foshie concluded that this game should show the team that they are capable of truly great things when they commit to each other and forget about all the distractions. “I am really proud of our kids for this moment they likely will never forget. It has been awesome to see the progression our program has made over the past three years, and the best is definitely yet to come!”

GO LIGHTNING!

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