‘This is our city’: Lincoln heading back to final four but had to hold breath on last Timberline shot

Aubrey Shelton said he had butterflies as Erik Stevenson’s final shot soared toward the basket from three-quarter court.

It missed off the backboard as the final horn went off. Lincoln’s Willie Thomas III shouted in joy.

“This is our city,” he yelled toward the crowd. “This is our town.”

Now the second-ranked Abes will be representing Tacoma with a return trip to the 3A state semifinals after holding their breath for a 64-63 win over No. 5 Timberline on Thursday in the Tacoma Dome.

This one was almost all about Tacoma grit for Lincoln, getting a stalwart defensive effort against Wichita State University-bound Stevenson, who scored a game-high 23 points one game after lighting up the Dome for 41 against Seattle Prep.

An official had briefly input “THETOWN” in place of Lincoln’s name on the scoreboard before the start of the game.

“You got to give credit where credit is due,” Timberline coach Allen Thomas said. “Coach Shelton and his group are always well coached, and they don’t ever fluster in the moment. That’s a true testament of a winner. He doesn’t get enough credit for what he does year in and year out and I even told him that last night when I texted him.”

Texted him? Before they played each other?

“Yeah,” Thomas said. “I respect him. And those are my guys (at Lincoln). I hope to God they go win it all.”

Now the Abes advance to a 5:30 p.m. game Friday against No. 4 Rainier Beach, whose starting point guard was the 3A Pierce County League MVP for Lincoln last year, Trevante Anderson.

But Lincoln had to hang on in a wild Stevenson ride in this one.

Stevenson hit a 3-pointer with a defender in his face from near the top of the key with 36.7 seconds remaining to cut Lincoln’s lead to one point and it came shortly after his pull-up jumper cut what was once a double-digit Lincoln lead to four.

Lincoln then missed the front end of a one-and-one free and Timberline got the ball back with 8.7 seconds left on the sideline.

So Thomas thought back to last year’s 4A state semifinals when Union beat Richland on a game-winning backdoor cut to its best player. So he had Stevenson inbound the ball to try to set up the same play for him.

Stevenson passed to Jamin Faalogo and immediately go the ball back before being double-teamed by Lincoln guards Emmett Linton and Le’Zjon Bonds. Linton tied him up for a jump ball – with the possession arrow pointing to Lincoln.

“He just hit that big 3 and we said if he catches the ball we have to trap him,” Shelton said. “We had a great, clean trap, hands up. That was huge.”

Linton was then fouled, but he missed his ensuing free throw, too, giving Stevenson one last shot from the top of the opposite key.

“I was so scared,” Shelton laughed.

But it ricocheted off the bottom of the backboard to send Lincoln back to the semifinals, where the Abes lost last year to one of the greatest teams with one of the greatest players in state history in Nathan Hale and future NBA player Michael Porter Jr.

“That was our mindset – just get back to where we were and complete it,” Bonds said. “We’ve been talking about it all year. We got to get it done this time.”

Bonds was the catalyst on both ends.

He led Lincoln with 15 points and had three steals while matching up with Stevenson most of the game, though Stevenson scored many of his points while Bonds was in foul trouble.

Lincoln broke loose in the second quarter, outscoring Timberline, 22-11, with its bench outscoring the Blazers’ bench 15-4 in the first half behind energy-boosters Kashaud Babbs, Earnest Yearby and Daemon Dillingham.

But Lincoln does D. Its league has awarded a defensive player of the year each of the past six seasons and a Lincoln player had earned that top honor every year.

Willie Thomas, who finished with 10 points and had a thunderous two-handed dunk in the first quarter, earned the 3A PCL defensive MVP this season, unanimously, but he might have to consider sharing that with Bonds.

“(Bonds) has been our lock-down guy all year,” Shelton said. “He’s active and he stays with guys and he’s super aggressive enough to be physical when he needs to. And, honestly, he saved us offensively today.”

Bonds gave Lincoln its final points, and a four-point cushion, when he powered past three defenders and finished with less than a minute to play.

“Man, me and him are probably the two best defenders in Washington,” Willie Thomas said. “(Bonds) goes at every D1 player.”

And where are Lincoln’s D1 players?

Garfield, Rainier Beach, Wilson and Timberline were some of the teams left in these quarterfinals with players committed to USC, Wichita State, UConn, St. John’s and elsewhere.

Then there’s Lincoln.

“It’s our culture,” Willie Thomas said. “We play hard. Everybody is ready no matter what the situation is. We don’t think, we just go in front of everybody. We don’t care who they are or what they have. We’re a collective team.”

One that will be playing for its city until Saturday. And maybe for Lincoln’s first state championship since taking back-to-back titles in 2001 and 2002.

“I really think this is their best chance to do it,” Allen Thomas said.

“Our word has been legacy,” Bonds said. “Play for the people before you and behind you.”

This story was originally published March 1, 2018 at 3:23 PM with the headline "‘This is our city’: Lincoln heading back to final four but had to hold breath on last Timberline shot."