DIVISION IV GIRLS : Lincoln Wins Second Consecutive Division Championship

The small crowd inside the Sports Arena made it as quiet as a mausoleum, but when Coronado shot its free throws, the voice of Lincoln Coach Dorothy Robinson could be heard.

“Miiiiiissss it.”

Like her team needed the help.

Lincoln took a page out of Coronado’s playbook and scored a 64-33 victory Thursday night over the Islanders to claim its second consecutive San Diego Section Division IV girls’ basketball title.

Top-seeded Lincoln (19-3) entered the game with the county’s highest scoring offense, averaging nearly 65 points per game. Second-seeded Coronado (18-7) had the county’s best defense--on paper--allowing 32 points.

But Lincoln forced 35 turnovers and defended against Coronado’s height by preventing the Islanders from getting the ball past midcourt. Coronado never scored more than 10 points in any quarter.

“That was the whole game plan,” Lincoln assistant coach Aaron Murphy said. “We didn’t want to let them get the ball inside.

“We’ve been working on defense all week, and that’s what paved the way for us.”

Lincoln sophomore Shondel Robinson did more than pave the way, she bulldozed the landscape. Robinson scored 29 points and had nine steals.

She said she likes to play offense, but defense has its own rewards.

“That’s how you get the ball,” Robinson said. “Defense is a lot of hard work, but I enjoy pushing myself to try to get the ball as much as I can--with a lot of help from my teammates.”

It came together in a tidy package for the Hornets. In addition to Robinson’s performance, there was Chanel Edwards (13 points, seven rebounds, five steals), Hattie Sanders (11 points) and Roanna Yutig (eight points, eight rebounds).

Coronado held a 33-22 rebounding edge, led by Anna Williams’ nine. Williams had a team-high 12 points.

“(Lincoln’s) very athletic, quicker, has a height advantage and better shooters. We knew we had to play error-free ball and they had to have an off night,” Coronado Coach Bill Cass said. “Even though we worked on our confidence and not being in awe, I thought we were. They beat us in every phase of the game.”

The loss was Coronado’s fifth straight in the Division IV finals. Lincoln has been to the Division III or IV finals three straight years and four of the last five.