LINCOLN -- There was a little light shining at the end of the tunnel as Lincoln wrapped up a disastrous 6-22 season in girls basketball in 2016-2017.

The Lady Wolves sparked by a combined 36 points between Kendra Cummins and Jessica Goldman, then a sophomore, snapped a 9-game losing streak by outscoring Haas Hall 34-8 in the second half on their way to a 55-26 win on Jan. 26, 2017. Lincoln led just 15-12 after the first quarter and 21-18 at halftime before Cummings, who led all scorers with 21, put 11 points on the scoreboard in the third quarter in which the Lincoln girls produced 17 points to Haas Hall's two.

Cummins was limited to 4-of-4 free throw shooting in the fourth, but if the Lady Mastiffs had any comeback ideas Goldman was having none of it. She began the quarter with a 2-for-2 trip to the foul line and concluded her 11-point outburst in the period the same way. Goldman had a 3-pointer in the surge.

Two weeks later, Goldman and the Lady Wolves knocked off highly-touted West Fork, 35-28, in the regular season finale at home. About a month after the district tournament, Lincoln hired Emilianne Slamons as head coach and in keeping some continuity with the program, hired volunteer assistant Michelle Lumsargis as assistant coach.

With Cummins graduated, Goldman was expected to carry more of the scoring responsibility. She stepped into the role earning All-Conference girls basketball honors for the Lady Wolves during her junior season. Lincoln jelled as Goldman asserted herself. The Lady Wolves went 4-6 in games decided by 10 points or less, an improvement from a 3-13 mark in such games the year before. The Lincoln girls finished with a winning record, 15-13 overall and went 10-8 in the blended 4A/3A District-1.

Goldman averaged 13 points-per-game and 4-rebounds-per-game. The 5-10 forward could handle the ball and shoot from the perimeter. Her size and ability to drive created match-up problems for opponents.

Slamons relied on Goldman's playmaking ability, saying, "She is always a hard worker and I could rely on her throughout the entire season to set up and make a big stop if needed or knock down a shot. She was a leader on and off the court."

Lincoln rejoins the 3A-1 Conference for the 2018-2019 school year in all sports except football.