UPDATE
Lincoln beat Oregon City 61-57. Senior guard Trent Callan led all Cardinal scorers with 17 points. Bailey Hazard, also a senior guard, poured in 12 points, and sophomore wing Jonah Pemberton had 11, with two from the foul line in the last minute of the game. The boys play at Wilsonville Dec. 16.

When the varsity boys basketball team takes on Oregon City tonight, not a word will be heard from Lincoln fans. Not a word, that is, until the Cardinals score a certain number of points, and then the home crowd is expected to break the silence of “Silent Night” with roaring cheers.

“It’s one of the most exciting games all season,” sophomore Sydney Lake said. “It’s so cool to hear the crowd explode when they get enough points.” The point total changes every year, and the team is never informed before the game, which, by tradition, is the last home game before winter break.

T-shirts for the game, which starts at 7:30 p.m., were sold at lunch Friday and will be on sale after school and at the door for $5. The shirts, designed by senior Dahbin An, double as tickets. Proceeds go to the Athletic Department.

Taylor University, a private Christian college in Upland, Indiana, is credited with being the first school to hold a “Silent Night” event in the late 1980s. It has become a tradition at that school ever since, complete with the crowd singing the words to the song after the 10th point was scored. The tradition came to Lincoln four years ago. It is not known if Lincoln students will follow with singing.