Francis Howell senior Lincoln Swan sat in the locker room with tears in his eyes.
A first team, All-District performer as a junior, Swan played his first game of the season Tuesday after serving a suspension due to his involvement in an incident at school.
“I was just so happy to be back with my team, back to being with my guys,” Swan said.
Coming off the bench, Swan scored 11 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter to help Francis Howell secure a 62-46 victory over Maplewood-Richmond Heights in the first round of the Don Maurer Holiday Invitational Tuesday at MICDS.
No. 8 seed Francis Howell (4-2) will face No. 1 MICDS (4-1) at 3 p.m. Friday in the first game of the championship side of the bracket.
No. 9 Maplewood-Richmond Heights (5-3) will begin the second-round festivities at 9 a.m. Friday with a game against No. 16 Ritenour (2-6) in the consolation bracket.
Playing sparingly throughout the first three quarters, Swan walked onto the floor to begin the fourth with the Vikings clinging to a 44-40 lead. He drained a left-wing triple, swished a smooth, baseline runner, and scored on a backdoor cut after a beautiful feed from senior Aiden O’Haire.
“Coach (Grant Agbo) let me know before the game that I was going to be coming off the bench for this game. It was just about staying in the right mindset and being ready to go for my team when they needed me,” Swan said.
He also converted four-of-four free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
During his five-game absence from the lineup, Swan practiced with the team and attended games while reflecting on the situation.
“Sitting out was tough. I had to mature quickly, learn from my mistakes and come back for my team,” Swan said. “I tried to bring a positive attitude every day, keep my head up and push through the situation. I wanted to make a smooth transition back like I was never gone.”
During Swan’s absence, O’Haire assumed the role of leading scorer for the Vikings. He averaged 16.5 points over his first four games, including a career-high 25 in a season-opening victory over North Point.
O’Haire is excited to get Swan back into the mix.
“After my first couple games, people scouted me and sent double (team)s at me. Now with Lincoln back, they can’t really do that,” O’Haire said. “He’s a leader, a senior, our returning leading scorer. He’s going to help us all-around – defense, rebounding, every area.”
The Don Maurer Holiday Invitational has taken on special meaning for O’Haire. As a sophomore playing on varsity for the first time, O’Haire scored 18 points in the tournament opener against Duchesne – the only time he scored in double digits that season.
Last year, he scored 18 points in a 57-56 win over host MICDS and followed it with another 18-point outing in a 53-51 victory against Clayton – two of his three highest-scoring games of the season.
“I like this gym, it’s fun to play in,” O’Haire said. “My sophomore year, I had a really good tournament, and now when I come here, I remember all the good moments. It really helps me play my game with a positive mindset.”
On Tuesday, O’Haire showed his affinity for the MICDS hoops by scoring 16 points, including 10 in the second quarter to help Francis Howell build a 31-20 halftime lead.
He scored on a layup in transition, on a smooth, turnaround jumper, and on a tough leaner in traffic. He also played excellent defense on Maplewood senior Abraham Nayou, who entered the game averaging nearly 30 points per game.
“Playing someone like (Nayou) makes me want to get up and guard. I know if I can get a stop on him, I can get a stop on pretty much anyone,” said O’Haire, who also pulled down 10 rebounds.
But the start of the third quarter belonged to Maplewood. Five quick points by junior Liam Missey, a basket by senior Terence Askew and a short jumper by Nayou powered a 9-0 run for the Blue Devils and sliced the deficit to 31-29.
“We had a good stretch there,” Maplewood-RH coach Joe Sausele said.
Throughout the second half, Nayou showed why he is one of the most prolific scorers in the area. He drained a transition three, creatively hopped to the rim for another score, and drained a buzzer-beating, mid-range floater to pull the Blue Devils within 44-40 heading to the fourth quarter.
“He’s gotten better every year,” Sausele said. “He’s a true, three-level scorer and has a natural ability to get to spots and lay the ball in. He’s probably the most complete guard I’ve ever coached.”
But the fourth quarter became Swan’s song, as the Francis Howell senior made the most of his first game action this season.
“It felt so good. After the game, I even cried a little bit,” Swan said.
He added, “I just wanted to come out here and lead like I always have. Hopefully, this will be just another day at the office.”
For a photo gallery of this game and others from the Don Maurer Invitational, visit: https://benvessa.smugmug.com/Boys-Basketball-Photos/Boys-Basketball-2025-26