Monday, February 08, 2010
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Brackney's 42 leads Railers past Normal West 85-75

By Jeff Benjamin

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[February 08, 2010]  When Lincoln senior Ben Brackney got the Railers on the board less than 15 seconds into the game with a long 3, no one, not even Brackney could have imagined what was to come on Saturday night.

The Bucknell-bound Brackney kept shooting, kept making and the scoreboard displaying his points started to look like a telethon tote board.

The Lincoln captain finished with 42 points, the third-most in a single game for a Railer player, to lead his squad to an 85-75 win over Normal West in a nonconference contest at Roy S. Anderson Gymnasium.

Brackney's career night marked the first time a Lincoln player had passed 40 in over 10 years and is the highest point total for anyone other than Chuck Verderber.

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Brackney's line in the box score was quite impressive. He finished 12 of 14 from the field, including 6 of 8 from 3-point range. Where Brackney made his run was at the free-throw line, as Normal West continued to foul late in the fourth quarter and Brackney happened to be the beneficiary. He finished 12 of 14 from the line, as well as adding four rebounds.

Even though this is a team, don't think for one minute the Lincoln bench and crowd did not know what was going on.

In fact, with Brackney sitting at 39 points, the student section erupted when he was once again fouled, sending him to the line, aiming for 40. Roy S. Anderson Gymnasium fell as quiet as I've heard it in a long time, and when Brackney missed the first of the two foul shots, the groan in the gym was as though that shot made the difference in winning or losing the game.

Brackney took a few steps down the lane, all with a smile on his face, got some encouragement from his teammates and calmly sank the next one to hit 40.

We all know that coach Neil Alexander is focused on winning, knowing that individual accomplishments and accolades are part of the game, but stressing that teams win games, not individuals.

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However, Coach Al alluded to Brackney's shot at Lincoln history in his postgame comments. When asked about Brackney, Alexander commented, "He missed two free throws, right? Could've had 44."

It was not disappointment that the single-game high would go unmatched for at least another game. Coach Alexander was saving that feeling for a defense that allowed 142 points over the weekend.

"Defense. That has been the tradition of this school," Alexander said. "We have to find a way to stop people if we want to advance through the state tournament. Scoring nights like this aren't going to happen every night, so we have to be able to stop the other team from scoring."

The potential is there for nights like this, especially as Alexander commented, "This may be the most offensively gifted team I've had at Lincoln."

Some of the other offensive gifts were unwrapped on Saturday night as well. Getting lost in Brackney's drive toward school history was another strong effort from junior Nathaniel Smith.

Brackney was not the only one to set a career high against the Wildcats (16-9), as "Smitty" went 6 of 8 from the field and 9 of 11 from the free-throw line for a career best of 22 points. Smith also led the team with eight rebounds and was tied for the team honors with four assists and two steals.

The junior has certainly established himself as a player that other defenses will have to account for, averaging over 19 points in his last four games.
Oh, all this, and still no mention of the conference's leading scorer going into the weekend. Junior Jordan Nelson had a solid night as well, hitting 4 of 8 from behind the 3-point line and finishing with 16 points. Nelson's recent performances have moved him to within 38 points of 11th on the all-time scoring list.

But, there's that defense and the lull. It seems that in every recent game, the Railers (21-3) have had a lull, a stretch where the offense can't seem to get good shots, and when they do, the rolls and bounces don't go their way.

During the same time span, the defense has a habit of letting other teams back in. Saturday night was a case in point. Thanks to the shooting of Brackney, Nelson and Smith, the Railers ran out to a 29-16 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Whether it was a momentary letdown, adjustments from Normal West or the lull rearing its ugly head, Normal West started to find openings in the Lincoln defense, and before you knew it, the Wildcats had cut the Lincoln lead to six, thanks to an 11-2 run.

After another basket from Brackney, who scored all but one point for Lincoln in the second quarter, another quick five got Normal West to within one at 33-32. A 13-point lead and all the momentum needed to turn the game into a blowout, gone just like that.

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With the score 35-34, the Railers got another six from Brackney, but the Wildcats were able to get a 3 from Bradley Hallstein, who finished with a team-high 25 points, to cut the halftime lead to 42-40.

As much as the second quarter belonged to Brackney, it was Smith who got the Railers rolling in the third. The junior scored the first six for the home squad, pushing the lead to 48-42. West tried to stay close, but the Railers started to score in bunches, slowly stretching the lead to double figures.

The defensive frustration for West was that just when they thought they had Smith and Brackney covered, a wide-open Nelson was connecting from 3-point range. It was one of those offensive nights that make you think this team could do some special things come March.

But there is that defense. Lincoln came into the weekend holding opponents to under 38 points over the previous eight games. That defense was not on display this weekend, and if it does not return to a higher level, those special things in March may not get much of a chance to happen.

With Lincoln up 63-51 at the end of three, West just could not stop Lincoln to get back into the game. By that point, trading baskets was working for the Railers and, in the end, it was a question of the final score and whether a new single-game record would be set.

Along with the 80 points from Brackney, Smith and Nelson, Brant Coyne added four points on the night while Cameron Turner hit one of two from the line for his only point.

The Railers have a home doubleheader coming up this weekend. Friday night, another important conference game as the Lanphier Lions will make a visit, and Saturday night's nonconference matchup will be with Carbondale. As always, you can keep up with the Railers right here at http://www.lincolndailynews.com/.

___

LINCOLN (85)

Brackney 12-14 12-14 42, Smith 6-8 9-11 22, Nelson 5-11 2-2 16, Coyne 1-4 2-2 4, Turner 0-1 1-2 1, Kirby 0-1 0-0 0, Bowlby 0-1 0-0 0. Team 24-40 26-31 85.
3-point field goals 11-22 (Brackney 6-8, Nelson 4-8, Smith 1-3, Coyne 0-2, Kirby 0-1).
Rebounds 20 (Smith 8), assists 15 (3 tied with 4), steals 8 (3 tied with 2), turnovers 8.

Normal West (75)

Hallstein 25, A. Stewart 21, Scheuermann 10, B. Stewart 9, Bronke 4, Bohl 4, Bell 2. Team 25-49 13-14 75.
3-point field goals 12 (Hallstein 5, A. Stewart 3, B. Stewart 3, Bronke).
Rebounds 20, assists 11, steals 5, turnovers 11.

Normal West 16-24-11-24
Lincoln 29-13-21-22

Other notes:

Top six single-game scoring performances by Railers:

  1. Chuck Verderber, 44 (Dec. 2, 1977, vs. Danville)

  2. Chuck Verderber, 43 (Jan. 15, 1977, vs. Stephen Decatur)

  3. Ben Brackney, 42 (Feb. 6, 2010, vs. Normal West)

  4. Seymour Reed, 41 (Jan. 10, 1970, vs. Mount Pulaski)
    Gregg Alexander, 41 (Nov. 27, 1999, vs. Pontiac)
    Gregg Alexander, 41 (Jan. 31, 2000, vs.  Springfield)

[Special report by JEFF BENJAMIN]

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