Led by Temple and Wilhite, Lincoln Boys Are on the Right Frequency

An excerpt from a radio broadcast of a Lincoln High School boys’ basketball game might sound like this:

“Point guard John McCartney with the ball at the top of the key. McCartney drives the lane . . . dishes off to Darryl McMillan on the right block. McMillan, one bounce. He pulls up and scores. Lincoln 87, Washington 53, 1 minute remaining in the third quarter.

“Sandy Jones inbounds to Joe Slabovitz, Slabovitz passes to . . . stolen at midcourt by Victor Dean. Dean to the top of the key. The feed to Aaron Wilhite. Layup, good . . . and he draws the foul.

“Wilhite at the line. The big center is a pretty good free-throw shooter, hitting 61%. And this one’s good. Lincoln, 92-53.

“Inbounds pass to Roberts, who dribbles left and . . . stolen by Joe Temple. Temple, all alone on the break. Look out . . . slaaaaaaam dunk! Two-handed reverse jam by the 6-4 forward . . . “

Lincoln is explosive. And very good.

Last season, Lincoln scored 86 points per game en route to a 26-3 record, a San Diego Section title and a second-place finish in the CIF state Division III playoffs.

This season, the Hornets are better.

They are 17-1, averaging 90.2 points per game and have set their sights on a state championship, unprecedented for a San Diego County boys’ basketball team.

“Our only goal this year is to win our last game,” said Ron Loneski, Lincoln’s coach for the past 6 seasons.

Last season, Lincoln lost the state final to Daly City Jefferson, 77-72 in overtime.

“It was real disappointing because we were up by 16,” Temple said. “But I was only a junior. I knew I always had this year.”

“This year,” added Loneski, “we’re a much better team all around. This year’s team is not satisfied with winning. They want to be perfect.”

According to Loneski, the reason for that drive is the leadership and play of 3-year starters Joe Temple and Aaron Wilhite.

“They are the two finest kids I’ve ever had here. They’re so good to be around. They make you feel good because they’re so positive. They’re hard workers. Yet, they are still teen-agers. They’re still kids. They’re still learning a lot. And you see the potential there from both those young men.

“Joe is an outstanding kid who can do anything he wants. He’s got all the talent in the world. He’s got so much potential under this man’s body he walks around in.

“I’ve spent 21 years in the Army and I’ve never met anyone who was more of an over-achiever than Aaron.”

It was Wilhite who convinced Temple to come out for basketball in ninth grade. Temple had never before played basketball but soon caught on. Since their sophomore years, both have started every game in which they’ve suited up (Temple, a tight end, has missed four games because of football).

This season, Temple is fourth in the county in scoring (24.4 points per game) and Wilhite is fifth (22.4). Junior forward Darryl McMillan (6-feet 6-inches) is averaging 15.1, junior guard Victor Dean 10.8. John McCartney is averaging 5.2 assists per game.

The Hornets take 79 shots per game, making 38.3 (48.5%). They average 23 steals and 46 rebounds, which is a lot for a college team.

With numbers like that, it is easy to see why Lincoln has lost only to Poway, 65-56. With previously unbeaten Poway losing Wednesday to Fallbrook, Lincoln has the county’s longest winning streak at 12 games.

And when Lincoln wins, it wins big. The No. 3 Hornets have scored 100 or more points four times, including a 113-94 victory over No. 4 Valhalla. They’ve topped 90 points six other times.

Their lowest margin of victory was 14 points (against La Jolla). They have won by 40 or more four times, including an 86-13 drubbing of Montgomery.

In Santana (107-58), Madison (99-79) and Morse (97-59), Lincoln has defeated three of the four finalists in last year’s Division I and II championships.

But it is not the scoring that makes Loneski proudest. It is the number of steals and opponents turnovers caused by Lincoln’s full-court trapping defense.

“We try to get as many shots as possible. From there, the points will come,” Loneski said.

Loneski also disputes critics who have said the Hornets run up scores. “We’re trying to win our (City Central) league, our division, the (Southern California) regional and the state. Full-court pressure is how we play basketball. It is how these kids were taught,” he said.

Said Wilhite: “We’re a running team. And running teams are going to score. It’s not like we’re trying to run up the score on inferior teams.”

Said Temple: “I like to press. I think it helps our intensity. But conditioning is the main thing. The other teams usually get tired before we do. And we feel better when they are tiring. If you’re not conditioned, you can’t play basketball.”

Said Mike Mossuto, a forward for St. Augustine, which lost to Lincoln, 84-64, Wednesday: “They’ve got guys like Temple and Wilhite who can run and jump all over the court. And they have a whole bench full of guys just like them. They’re almost unstoppable.”

Against St. Augustine, the dominance of Temple and Wilhite probably was never more evident than in the first quarter. Lincoln led, 26-11, after 8 minutes. Wilhite had 15 points, Temple 8. Temple had 5 steals, Wilhite 3. Wilhite had 4 rebounds, Temple 3. Neither missed a shot.

Then in the fourth quarter:

”...Wilhite with the ball at the high-post. He turns, looks inside. Alley-oop pass to Temple . . . slaaaaaaam dunk!”

QUITE A PAIRPer-game varsity averages (points, rebounds, assists, steals) from the sophomore, junior and senior seasons of Lincoln stars Joe Temple and Aaron Wilhite:

‘86-87, 16-7 P R A S Joe Temple 12.0 12.2 2.1 3.2 Aaron Wilhite 10.7 10.5 2.5 2.6 ‘87-88, 26-3 P R A S Joe Temple 11.3 13.5 4.7 5.3 Aaron Wilhite 14.4 12.1 3.4 4.5 ‘88-89, 17-1 P R A S Joe Temple 24.4 11.0 2.7 5.1 Aaron Wilhite 22.4 13.8 2.7 3.7