The Lincoln Golden Eagles boys basketball team kicked off its season on Monday, Nov. 24, by hosting another flock of Eagles. NEO Next Generation Academy from Indianapolis provided the opposition.
It was apparent early in the game that Lincoln senior Dustin Lunsford would be a hard guard for GEO. GEO settled for perimeter shots while Lincoln went inside to Lunsford. At the end of the first quarter Lincoln led 18-9, with Lunsford scoring all 18 Lincoln points.
Lincoln got second quarter scoring from Ben Bates, Gage Collins and Trevor Zapfe, and Lunsford added seven more points to build a 34-22 halftime lead.
GEO made a third-quarter run to cut the deficit to 37-30 when Dylan Gatling hit a three-pointer at the 4:30 mark. Lincoln answered with a 12-0 run to push its advantage to 49-30 at the end of the third quarter.
GEO never seriously challenged the lead again as Lincoln raced to a 71-39 victory.
Lunsford finished with a career high of 37 points that included two three-pointers and two breakaway dunks. Zapfe provided double-figure support with 15 points. Armonie Anderson and Gatling each scored 13 points for GEO.
Lincoln head coach Rodney Klein said it was good to give his players game experience. “We have a lot of kids who are seeing varsity minutes for the first time,” Klein said. “Dustin Lunsford is the only player in our rotation with significant varsity experience. The rest of the team is working hard and learning on the fly. For our first night out, I saw some good things. Our goal is to get better every night.”
CC Lincoln (1-0) 18 16 15 22 71
GEO (0-1) 9 13 8 9 39
Lincoln (71)
Lunsford 37, Braxton Dick 2, Bates 5, Zapfe 15, Johnny Fugate 0, Caden Ripberger 0, Keaton Gray 2, Irwin 6, Collins 4
GEO Next Generation (39)
Anderson 13, Gatling 13, Donterrious Banks 6, Burton 3, Dillan Whittington 4
A version of this article appeared in the December 3 2025 print edition of the Western Wayne News.