Preview: Lincoln Fighting Zebras vs. Foothill Mustangs
Lincoln has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. The Lincoln Fighting Zebras and the Foothill Mustangs will round out the year against one another at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday at. Hopefully Lincoln is not getting complacent, as they presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Foothill in California (Lincoln is ranked 196th, while Foothill is ranked 789th).
Lincoln fought the good fight in their overtime game against Rocklin on Wednesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They took a 59-52 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Thunder.
Despite their loss, Lincoln saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Maya Hodge, who scored 21 points, was perhaps the best of all. Hodge scored a full 40.4% of Lincoln's points, the third time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points. Isa Keidel was another key contributor, scoring 13 points.
Foothill has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four games by 29 points or more this season. They really took it to Bradshaw Christian for the full four quarters, racking up a 52-11 victory at home. With Foothill ahead 25-2 at the half, the contest was all but over already.
Foothill's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Joyce Runner led the charge by scoring 16 points. The contest was Runner's fifth in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Zeniah Thompson, who scored 14 points.
Lincoln's defeat ended a seven-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 8-3. As for Foothill, their victory bumped their record up to 6-3.
This contest is shaping up to be a blowout: Lincoln hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having only averaged 56.1 points per game. It's a different story for Foothill, though, as they've been averaging only 40 points per game. The only thing between Lincoln and another offensive beatdown is Foothill. Will they be able to keep them contained?
Lincoln ended up a good deal behind Foothill in their previous matchup back in February of 2018, losing 53-35. Can Lincoln avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
