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Lincoln survives and moves on
Railers overcome Ottawa 42-32
By Jeff Mayfield
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[March 07, 2007]
One of the things we were disappointed
about when we moved is that we would be missing a potentially great
Lincoln Railer hoops season. The Railers didn't disappoint, but we
were just too far away to ever see them play. That was until the
powers that be stepped in. It seems that they thought it would be a
good idea to ship the No. 1-seeded Railers to the North Pole as a
reward for a 30-win season. I'm not too bright, so I need one of the
geniuses to explain to me how this could ever happen.
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OK, they didn't quite make them play above the polar ice cap, but
they did send them to another time zone. In fact, researching the
distance on Mapquest.com (and NO, they don't pay me for product
placement) I found that it is roughly 109.29 miles from our old
house in Lincoln (and yes, it's still
for sale if you're looking for a deal) to the gym in Ottawa. Are
you kidding me? So, take your family to a game and get your kids
home around midnight? So much for being family-friendly. The Railers
survived all this and more en route to a rough 42-32 victory over
the Pirates in their raucous, historic field house. But that's not
the half of it. How 'bout the No. 1 seed having to play the No.
6-seeded Pirates on their home floor? And I am NOT kidding you! And
this was the second time in two weeks the No. 1-seeded team had to
play a lower-seeded team in THEIR friendly confines. As long as I
live, I'll never understand why organizations want to fix that which
is NOT broken!
You great LDN readers could almost write the script for this one
yourselves. But before you do, let me clean up one thing. Our
family, for one, was almost glad for the ridiculousness of the
situation. Since they turned the Railers into Nanook of the North,
we actually got to see a game. And let the record show that we did
our part and helped cheer the good guys on to victory.
Back to writing the script... You give a less deserving team a
chance to host the No. 1 seed... Aren't you encouraging an upset?
Their band, their cheerleaders, their fans all in full regalia and
setting and springing the trap for the unsuspecting Railers? When
you have a good team, like Lincoln does oftentimes, the players look
at the seed lines and assume that they will prevail.
To coach Alexander's credit, he didn't assume anything. In fact,
I could almost recite his halftime speech by heart. His ability to
make halftime adjustments is just one of the many traits that make
him simply one of the best in the business.
[to top of second column]
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He no doubt reminded the boys that improving shot selection would be
insisted upon in the second half. He demanded better movement with
the defense, especially with the footwork to get away from silly
fouls. He stressed moving the ball around the perimeter and THEN
attacking the defense once they got them on their heels. Matt
Schick ended up as Lincoln's high scorer with 12 and Brandon Farmer
had 11, but neither player lit the lamp like they are capable of
doing (perhaps saving it for the next game[s]). And Josh Sutton, who
just continues to improve, hauled down nine big caroms.
This was a good one to get out of their system, but props to
Lincoln for keeping their poise and their composure and playing a
complete second half after a very forgettable first half. You gotta
play 'em the way they are scheduled, no matter how far they ship you
to do so.
Arguably the next game will be tough, whether the Railers face
Bloomington or Champaign Central. And that game would be difficult
were it to be played in Ottawa or in Barrow, Alaska.
But one thing I love about the Railers -- they will never quit
and they will always give their best effort no matter who they play
or where they play 'em.
I'm just glad that they played a game close enough to the Cheese
Curtain (that's what Craig Zastrow calls the place where we live)
that we could share in a victory.
Good luck to the Railers Friday night no matter who they pair up
against. And as John Guzzardo always says, "YOU GOTTA BELIEVE"!
[Jeff Mayfield]
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