Ypsilanti Lincoln prepares for title defense with tough final week of regular season

Yspilanti Lincoln beats Chelsea 108-102 in double OT thriller

Ypsilanti Lincoln's Emoni Bates (21) wraps his arms around his teammates on the bench before going into overtime at Ypsilanti Lincoln high school on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2020.Jenna Kieser

YPSILANTI – Jesse Davis knows it’ll be a challenge getting Ypsilanti Lincoln’s boys hoops team back to the mountain top.

The Railsplitters have had a target on their back all season not only because they have the nation’s top basketball player in Emoni Bates, but because they’re the defending Division 1 state champions.

All eyes have been on Lincoln and the Railsplitters have had their share of highs and lows this season, sweeping the Southeastern White-Conference but falling in their two biggest non-conference games against River Rouge and Benton Harbor.

And before Lincoln enters the postseason to defending its state title, it’ll have a tough final week of the regular season against two of the top teams in the state in Ann Arbor Huron (18-1) and Grand Rapids Catholic Central (17-2).

“It’s a great test,” Davis said. “Last year, we ended with Hanover-Horton, which was a really disciplined, offensive team; just stuck to what they do, and I think Huron and GRCC will be the same way.”

Huron is ranked No. 6 in Division 1 by the Associated Press, while GRCC sits at No. 2 in Division 2 – behind Benton Harbor.

Lincoln (16-2) will first face Huron on Tuesday at Eastern Michigan’s Convocation Center and will close out the regular season against GRCC Thursday at Ypsilanti Lincoln.

“I think they’re going to test us as far as they do what they do, and they stick to it,” Davis said of the final two teams on the schedule. “They’re great defensive teams and they’re going to be well coached, so I think it’ll be a good test for us going into the tournament. I’m just looking forward to seeing where we stand against those kinds of teams.”

Lincoln has only one starter back from last year’s championship team in Bates, who has been on a tear, and this year’s group features a bevy of new faces and younger players.

The inexperience has shown and the time for everything to come together is now.

“We show flashes, but we show flashes of immaturity also – a lot of it,” Davis said. “With having all those seniors last year, it was easy to get through to them. It was kind of a sense of urgency all the time, so right now, that’s where I'm headed with these kids now.

“We had 18 games of ups and downs with how we were playing but right now we just gotta be clicking, playing the game the right way. We’ve gotta be locked in on our scouting reports and understanding what we need to do each game. I think we’ll be OK.”

The goal is to get back to the championship, but first, the Railsplitters will have to get through a tough final week followed by a district that includes Huron and rival Ypsilanti, among other strong teams.

“I can’t really worry about that too much because it’s one game at a time when you get to the tournament,” Davis said. “We want to get back (to the championship) of course. I’m just preaching to our kids togetherness and working hard for each other. That’s the biggest thing for me. If we work hard for each other and we play solid on the defensive end and have great effort every night, I think we’ll have a chance to win.”

MORE:

Ann Arbor-area prep basketball scoreboard for Feb. 28

Emoni Bates’ big first half helps Lincoln top Jackson to finish SEC-White play unbeaten

Ann Arbor-area hoops highlights: Huron boys come up clutch, Whitmore Lake girls’ historic season continues

2020 boys basketball district pairings for Ann Arbor area

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