Unbeaten Lincoln boys basketball survives another scare from O'Gorman

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Feb 11, 2026 - 11:30
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Unbeaten Lincoln boys basketball survives another scare from O'Gorman

A 12-0 run to start the game vanished in the third quarter, and the Sioux Falls Lincoln boys basketball team had to fight to survive a pesky O'Gorman team and its last-second shot to tie for a 69-67 home win Tuesday.

The Knights' crowd and bench went nuts every time O'Gorman made a shot as it came back in the second half. The visitors rode that energy in a back-and-forth final frame, but a big bucket through contact from the Patriots' Sam DeGroot proved to be just what the doctor ordered to eventually eke out the win.

DeGroot finished with 28 points, going 10-for-12 from the field, nine rebounds and three assists. He was the go-to player down the stretch with point guard Brody Schafer getting a lot of attention, and the senior center delivered.

"Whatever the best way was for us to either get it inside or score," DeGroot said. "If they came with a double I was ready pass it down low to one of our open cutters."

O'Gorman didn't go away and Mason Clark got a chance to tie it at the horn, but the Lincoln defense made it a difficult shot for the Knights' senior.

"At the end of the day, our guys battled and they've been in those high-stress situations before and they responded again, which is something I was proud of for them," Lincoln head coach Luke Hannemann said.

This Lincoln team is similar to the one that finished third in the state last year, but they're using that as motivation. They have experience in this big-time spots and feel that has helped them avoid close calls against teams like O'Gorman and Tea Area.

"It comes with experience," Schafer said. "If you blow out every team all year you don't get that experience, so when that close game comes in the state tournament then you're not going to be ready for it. Obviously, we don't want these close games, but it's good for us and we need to clean things up so we don't have many more of these."

With all that experience comes expectations, which Lincoln has lived up to thus far. Sitting at 15-0 with just three single-digit wins, the Patriots know they are being hunted by every opponent.

Hannemann feels that responsibility to deliver on those expectations by preparing his guys as best he can for each challenge they're about to face.

"I try to talk about it a little bit where there's a target on our backs, but at the end of the day we have to focus on just one game at a time," Hannemann said. "I just need to make sure I do a better job of one game at a time, focus on our next one and prepare for that the right way."

Schafer, DeGroot and the rest of the guys have felt that pressure on the court, with teams like O'Gorman relishing in the opportunity to knock off the unbeaten Patriots. The junior point guard feels handling that pressure starts when the crowd isn't even in the gym.

"We know everybody's going to give us their best shot, and it starts in practice during the week before the games," Schafer said. "Preparation is key, so we've got to come to practice every day wanting to get better and create that competitive spirit."

This is now a pair of two-point victories for the Patriots in the last 11 days, as they bested Tea Area 62-60 at home on Jan. 31.

"I think it's good for us," Schafer said. "Being able to win close games is very important. Learning how to deal with adversity and fighting back from it and responding, I think we did a pretty good job of it."

Lincoln has a few big challenges left, starting with defending Class AA state champion Brandon Valley at home on Feb. 13. The Patriots will then host 13-1 Sioux Falls Roosevelt on Feb. 17, head to Sioux Falls Jefferson on Feb. 20 and rematch O'Gorman on the road on Feb. 21.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Unbeaten Lincoln boys basketball survives another scare from O'Gorman

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