Warren

Lincoln girls basketball team working in several new players

By Jason Carmel Davis
C & G Sports Writer

» click to enlarge « Photo by Patricia O’Blenes The Warren Lincoln girls basketball team is working in a slew of new players after losing all five starters to graduation. Pictured is Abes junior Kayla Wilson going in for a lay-up. Wilson is just one of the players who will be asked to step into a bigger role. Photo by Patricia O’Blenes The Warren Lincoln girls basketball team is working in a slew of new players after losing all five starters to graduation. Pictured is Abes junior Kayla Wilson going in for a lay-up. Wilson is just one of the players who will be asked to step into a bigger role.

WARREN — The Warren Lincoln girls basketball team lost its entire starting five from a season ago and will have just one senior on this year’s team.

Abes coach Lyle Turner said the infusion of new players has led him to dial back his approach.

“We’re running a basic offense and defense,” said Turner, in his sixth year as Lincoln varsity coach. “We’re a young team, so we’ll be starting out simple and adding things in as the season goes along.”

Turner has five players returning from a team that went 13-8 last season, including a 7-5 mark in the Macomb Area Conference Gold Division. Most of the major contributors from that team are gone, meaning Turner will need new players to step into bigger roles.

Turner said he expects Kayla Wilson, Elena Ramirez, McKenzie Wilcox and Brittany Whitaker to make solid contributions.

“Those are the girls who will have to step up and fill the shoes of the players from last year’s team,” Turner said.

The team has trending upward throughout the past several seasons. Lincoln has recorded a .500 or above mark in each of the last three years, with its last division title coming in 2006.

Lincoln was in its fair share of tight games a year ago, as well, outscoring its opponents by 2.4 points per game during the 2011-12 season.

“We’re always looking to do the best we can,” Turner said. “We’re taking a ‘one day, one game, at a time’ approach this year.

“We’re going into the season with a very young team, and all we can do is grow each day, but of course we always try and win the conference and district (championships).”

The Gold will have a new look this year, welcoming Marysville, which won the Silver last season, and Anchor Bay and Marine City from the MAC Blue.

Mount Clemens, Warren Mott and St. Clair Shores Lake Shore comprise the rest of the Gold.

Defending MAC Gold champion Macomb L’Anse Creuse North moved to the MAC Blue.

“With these changes, it’s anyone’s game in the MAC Gold,” Turner said. “We’ve been able to compete with the teams in our league in the past, and we’ll be looking at competing again.

“Marysville will be tough, coming up from the Silver, and Mott will also be tough this year, so we have our work cut out for us.”

Lincoln opens the season with a showdown with Clinton Township Clintondale, set for 7 p.m. Nov. 30 at Clintondale.

You can reach C & G Sports Writer Jason Carmel Davis at jdavis@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1107. Follow Jason Carmel on Twitter.