The Lincoln girls basketball team opened its 22nd annual Lincoln High School Invitational tournament Thursday night against San Juan. The Fighting Zebras came in having won four of their last five games.
The Spartans (3-7) were working to get back into the game after falling behind early. Lincoln had built a 31-17 lead in the first half and had increased it to 32-17 when San Juan decided to forfeit the game at the 6:05 mark of the third quarter.
Someone in the crowd began yelling at the Spartans’ bench, prompting an official to ask the individual to calm down. When he didn’t, the official ejected him and asked him to leave the gym.
After Lincoln head coach Tim Sprinkles escorted the individual from the gym, the San Juan coach pulled his team off the floor and forfeited the game.
“It’s a good life lesson for the girls,” said Sprinkles, as to the situation, “that they are responsible for their actions and how they handle situations like that.”
As to the game, the Zebras opened the game on a 7-2 run. Lincoln capitalized on Spartans’ turnovers and held a 15-3 lead with 2:36 remaining in the first quarter.
Sophomore forward Cassandra Pisik helped give the Zebras a 21-5 lead by the quarter’s end scoring eight points, gathering in five rebounds and making two steals.
“We were working as a team,” said Pisik, who finished with 12 points, seven boards and two assists to go with her steals. “We were putting out a full team effort there in the first half.”
In the second period, fatigue seemed to catch up with the Zebras, as San Juan went on a 12-2 run to cut the lead to seven. Karla McCommas sparked Lincoln with a couple of free throws to help the Zebras take a 31-17 lead into the locker room.
“We were getting away from our game plan there in the second; we got complacent,” said Sprinkles. “We try to put forth four solid quarters. Our goal was to put forth a strong second half.”
The final score of the game came on a Pisik free throw to give the Zebras a 32-17 lead just before the forfeit.
Lincoln must now collect itself and face a tough River Valley squad at 7:30 p.m. Friday. The Falcons flew past Wheatland 52-27 in their opener by crashing the boards and applying great defensive pressure.
In other games, Rio Linda plays Lindhurst at 3 p.m.; Wheatland takes on San Juan at 4:30 and Granite Bay meets Rio Americano at 6.
JMcDonaldMedia 
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