HIGH SCHOOL ROUNDUP : Come February, Lincoln Shatters Madison Dream

With its 11-point victory over Lincoln last December, Madison was hoping to prove the City Central League wouldn’t be a one-team league.

Lincoln didn’t get the message.

The Hornets, notorious for struggling early in the season, are playing like most Lincoln teams do when the league schedule has arrived and a league title is on the line.

The ninth-ranked Hornets crushed Madison, 91-51, in the Warhawks’ gym Tuesday, sending out a message as strong as a Scott Hammond slam dunk that the Central will, in fact, be a one-team race.

Bet on Lincoln to win its seventh league championship in a row. The Hornets improved to 14-8, 4-0 in league with their 42nd consecutive league victory.

If there was any doubt that they would win this game after they outscored the Warhawks, 22-8, in the first quarter, there was none after the second quarter. Lincoln tacked on another 22 points to Madison’s nine and took a 44-17 halftime lead.

When Coach Ron Loneski pulled his starters with 3:29 left in the fourth quarter, Lincoln’s substitutes took a 31-point lead and made it as big as 41.

Madison (11-10, 3-1), bidding to take the Central trophy that has been in the Lincoln trophy case for more than half a decade, had to beat Lincoln at home to have a chance.

But that would also mean beating the Hornets for the second time in a row and ending their winning streak.

Would that be a reasonable task?

Not as it turned out.

“I think we were ready to play this time,” Loneski said. “We were down last time because we lost the day before to Poway. We were also cocky and overconfident at that time of year.

“I told them this is 42 league games in a row, it’s a championship situation and both teams are undefeated (in league play). This is a big game.”

Big game and huge day for Lincoln forward Berry Randle, who finished with 22 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists and seven blocked shots. Randle, who played most of the second half with four fouls, scored 14 of his points during the first-half.

Joe Evans provided 15 points, including seven during an 18-1 Lincoln run that started late in the first quarter and carried two minutes into the second quarter. The Hornets had scored 14 consecutive points before Madison’s Matt Baker (game-high 24 points) broke the spell with a layup that “cut” the lead to 40-11.

After Evans and Hosa Baker (14 points) took the Hornets on a 10-4 run to open the fourth quarter and made it 80-45, Loneski went to his bench.

Having already beaten Madison and San Diego away, Lincoln looks poised to grab its seventh consecutive title. The Hornets rarely lose at home, and Loneski said the time has arrived when his seniors focus on going out as champions and each player learns his role.

“Basketball is such an emotional game,” Loneski said. “I’m proud that they came ready to play. They played with a lot of enthusiasm this time.”