Born Ready, to play for St. John"s ??

Lance Stephenson, Lincoln get help in win over Jefferson
BY M. LELINWALLA

With St. John's coach Norm Roberts on hand to see Lance Stephenson and Lincoln host Jefferson in Coney Island Thursday night, the Railsplitters' senior phenom didn't disappoint.
Fierce dunks, NBA-range three-pointers and commanding drives inside were all part of Stephenson's 20-point finish, but it was Lincoln's supporting cast that powered the Railsplitters past Jefferson, 87-83.
Lincoln senior Anthony Allen led all scorers with 25 points, and junior Raymond Oloughlin chipped in 18. Keith Spellman and Joel Wright had 19 apiece for Jefferson.
"Those were a couple of secrets I had," said Lincoln coach Dwayne Morton of Allen and Oloughlin. "I didn't know they were going to shine so early. They go hard. Now, Lance has two more guys."
Yes, Lincoln's supporting cast is no longer a secret. Allen and Oloughlin helped Stephenson force Jefferson into costly turnovers late to push Lincoln.
"Coach told us to step up and we did what we had to do," said Allen.
Still, Jefferson didn't back down.
After Stephenson hit a three to lift Lincoln's lead to 81-72 with 1:19 remaining in the game, Jefferson roared back in the final minute and came within to two points. However, Lincoln senior Allen West was able to hit a pair of foul shots and ice the game with 14.9 seconds left.
"Huge," said Morton of West's clutch free throws. "He's the MVP of the game."
Having defeated Boys & Girls and Loughlin last week, Jefferson was expected to give Lincoln (5-0) its biggest challenge. And it did, but the Orange Wave (5-1) wound up leaving Coney Island with its first loss.
And even with the help of his supporting cast, Stephenson had the opportunity to show Roberts what he's made of.
"I'm surprised he came in the building," Stephenson said. "St. John's is on my list."