Sunday, December 19, 2010
Sports News

Railers win over Jacksonville 43-24 without 2 starters

By Jeff Benjamin

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[December 19, 2010]  LINCOLN -- As Railer fans have been accustomed to watching, the trademark defense was on display Friday night as Lincoln held Jacksonville to single digits in three quarters as the Railers rolled to their eighth straight win to start the season, a 43-24 decision over the Crimsons.  However, what, or more specifically, who, was not on display were Lincoln’s two leading scorers.

With seniors Jordan Nelson and Nathaniel Smith absent from the evening’s festivities, the Railers were able to not miss a beat both offensively and defensively.  For most teams, going into battle without 60 percent of your scoring might be rather daunting.  Friday night, the Railers showed that, although they missed their teammates, this squad is not just a two-man band.  

Coach Neil Alexander, forced to adjust his starting lineup, as well as his usual game substitution pattern, chose Jake Olson and Christian Van Hook to round out the normal starting five. It didn’t take long for Van Hook to make an impact. 

After Jacksonville turned the ball over after winning the opening tip, the junior got the Railers on the board with an alley-oop dunk on a perfect lead from Olson.  Another Crimson turnover saw Lincoln lob over the defense on the inbounds pass to Van Hook who made the catch and the lay-in and before Jacksonville fans had settled into their seats, the Railers got off to the good start they needed at 4-0. Junior Austin Kirby’s three pointer from just beyond the top of the key pushed the run to 7-0, forcing Crimson coach J.R. Dugan to call a timeout.  

After Van Hook’s quick offensive start, the junior got into some early foul trouble, picking up two fouls in a four second span with just about two minutes gone in the game. 

Van Hook was on the bench for the rest of the first half and the Crimsons were able to get their first three points of the game with him on the bench. It appeared Jacksonville was much more comfortable with Van Hook on the bench.

Fortunately, the Crimsons were in the holiday spirit and continued to give the ball away, 20 turnovers for the game, and the Railers took advantage.  Spurred on by senior Brant Coyne’s six point run, Lincoln ran off a 14-0 run through the first quarter and early into the second. 

The run included the first varsity basket for freshman Max Cook.  Cook, taking advantage of his playing time in the absence of Nelson and Smith, scored six in the contest and led the team in rebounds with five.  

Offense was at a premium in the second quarter as the teams combined for only 10 points.  By halftime, Lincoln (8-0, 2-0) had stretched their margin to 15 at 23-8. For a team forced to use players that had not logged any varsity minutes and those usually on the court with the decision well in hand, it was hard to tell any moments where this team missed a beat.  “I thought we played hard tonight,” Coach Alexander said.  “We hustled and really got after it.”  The crowd at Roy S. Anderson Gymnasium, watching the Railers win their 11th in a row at home, saw some rarely seen game quintets, but effective none the less.  

There was no drought of three pointers, thanks to the shooting of Jordan Gesner and Kirby.  Gesner, the evening’s leading scorer with 14, scored Lincoln’s first eight points of the third quarter, including two baskets from long range, while Kirby hit twice from beyond the arc in the game. After Cook’s basket at the end of the third, the Railers were up 33-14 and the game seemed in hand.

 Jacksonville’s only double digit quarter of the night, the fourth, saw the Crimsons (4-5, 2-1) score 10 of their 24 points but they were never able to get closer than 17 in the period. It wasn’t only the turnovers that bothered Jacksonville.  When they were able to get the shots off, they were contested, blocked, influenced, and flat out missed. 

Coach Dugan’s troops finished at 27 percent (7 of 26) for the game, while the Railers hit 43 percent (18 of 42).  The Railers did commit 14 turnovers of their own, but it would be understood.  “We made some silly passes and got pressured, but all in all, with the experience we had out there, we really played well tonight,” Alexander surmised.  

Gesner’s 14 points led the team.  After an early four, Van Hook scored six as did Kirby and Cook.  For his first varsity minutes, Cook looked very comfortable but, according to Alexander, “the effect of the speed of the game was obvious.  He’s gone from 8th grade to a few sophomore games to this.  It’s much different.”

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Coyne’s six points were part of an overall strong performance from the senior, with Coach Alexander calling his play on Friday “big.”  Olson added a three, while Matt Hays gave the team good minutes and scored on an inside basket. 

Andy Krusz played and did not score, but his willingness to take on the physical play down low was important as Jacksonville played very intimidated at times.  Another player getting his first minutes of the season was Will Podbelsek.  The sophomore did what was asked of him as well.

 Would I have been surprised to know that Lincoln won by 19?  Not at all.  Under these circumstances?  Absolutely.  However, it’s another reason why it’s easy to contend Lincoln has one of the best coaching staffs in the state.  It is not the type of thing one can prepare for, but when it came to be, everyone stepped up and the team reaped the reward.  

 Lincoln’s next contest will be tonight at Taylorville.  It will be the first road game in conference play and will have a different starting time.  The sophomore game is scheduled to start at 5 with the varsity ready to go at 6:30.  The sophomore squad will look to sweep the weekend after an overtime win on Friday night, 54-50.  

Lincoln (43)

 Gesner 5 0-0 14, Van Hook 3 0-0 6, Kirby 2 0-0 6, Cook 3 0-0 6, Coyne 3 0-0 6, Olson 1 0-0 3, Hays 1 0-0 2, Krusz 0 0-0 0, Podbelsek 0 0-0 0. TEAM 18 0-0 43.  3-point field goals 7 (Gesner 4, Kirby 2, Olson).

 Jacksonville (24)

 Dugan 6, Peak 6, Lonergan 2, Pate 2, Kuo 2, Hance 2, Jones 1, Mills 1, Kording 1, Keene 1.  TEAM 7 8-13 24. 3-point field goals 2 (Dugan 2)

 End of 1st quarter – LCHS 18, Jacksonville 3

 Halftime – LCHS 23, Jacksonville 8

 End of 3rd quarter – LCHS 33, Jacksonville 14  

Other conference scores:

 Southeast 60, Glenwood 33

 Lanphier 86, Taylorville 52 

SH-G 51, Rochester 32

Trivia answer: 

    * In yesterday’s preview, I asked who the coaches were when Lincoln won games number 1, 100, 500, 1000, and 1500 in school history.

    * #1 – William Handlin (1913-14)

    * #100 – Roy S. Anderson (1926-27)

    * #500 – Paul Johnson (1955-56)

    * #1000 – Loren Wallace (1983-84)

    * #1500 – Neil Alexander (2006-07)

[By JEFF BENJAMIN]

Jeff Benjamin's Railer basketball articles

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