Prep girls’ basketball: Streaking Lincoln at full strength just in time for playoffs

The Lincoln High School girls’ basketball team hasn’t seen too many close games this season.

In their 21 wins entering Thursday night, the Fighting Zebras have won by an average of nearly 37 points per game. Their closest – and perhaps most important – game was against Sierra Foothill League standout Whitney in mid-December. Lincoln held a two-point lead over Whitney in the final seconds of regulation before Whitney stole the ball, tied the score and eventually claimed a one-point win in overtime.

“There was a lesson to be learned there,” Lincoln head coach Amy Avila said.

The lesson? No matter the score or situation of the game, finish.

Thursday, on Lincoln’s senior night, Madison Barr-Zeltvay harkened back to that finishing mantra. As Lincoln was in the midst of a 22-0 run to start the game against Ponderosa, Barr-Zeltvay swiped a ball and had a wide-open path to the hoop. But the basketball had other ideas, and Barr-Zeltvay caught some flack from her teammates for missing the layup.

“We’re not gonna talk about that, OK?” Barr-Zeltvay laughed after the game. The senior point guard took no more easy buckets for granted and recovered to lead Lincoln with 18 points, five steals and four assists in a 55-24 win.

“We’re all gonna make mistakes, it’s how you recover from a mistake,” Barr-Zeltvay said. “For example, if I blow a layup, I can’t sit there and sulk. I have to get back and make the next play. As we get farther in the season and we get stronger teams, we have to recover stronger.”

How’s this for recovery? It was Lincoln’s 15th straight victory since the Whitney loss, and it clinched the second straight Foothill Valley League crown for the Fighting Zebras (22-2, 10-0 FVL).

Barr-Zeltvay was one of seven seniors honored Thursday, along with Lauren Holcomb, Paige Davis, Trinity Markert, Ashlyn Fernandez, Bobbie VanSant and Madalynn Biagi. Barr-Zeltvay and Holcomb have been on varsity since their freshmen year, when Avila took over as head coach and helped turn the program around.

“I brought Madison and Lauren up as freshmen, and I just envisioned this when they got here,” Avila said. “They’re all great kids and great players. Every year, it’s like ‘We’re gonna get that league title.’ ”

While Barr-Zeltvay and Holcomb provide senior leadership, junior forward Katie Leeth is the Zebras’ driving force. A likely favorite for FVL MVP, Leeth entered Thursday as the only player in the Sac-Joaquin Section to be in the top 10 in scoring (20.5), field goal percentage (53%) and blocked shots (3.7).

Sophomore Maya Hodge has emerged as the team’s second-leading scorer and rebounder at 10.9 and 7.2, respectively. With a season full of injury-related absences, Thursday was the first time Lincoln was at full strength.

“We’ve had players really step up,” Avila said. “They all just played key roles to just keep that momentum up, and I never felt that we had any kind of decline.”

In the abbreviated 2021 spring season, Lincoln went 8-1 without a single senior on its roster. The familiarity and continuity from the returning Zebras are what fuels the Zebras’ 2022 run into the postseason.

“We have a lot of team chemistry because we had no seniors last year,” Leeth said. “Last season and this season, we’ve worked a lot together and we’ve grown together. That’s why we’re undefeated in league.”

The Zebras, ranked No. 10 in The Bee’s latest girls’ hoops ladder, are the No. 2 team in MaxPreps’ Division III rankings, all but assuring them homecourt advantage in the postseason. Lincoln seeks its first section championship appearance.

Lincoln finishes its regular season with road games Tuesday at West Park and Thursday at Oakmont.