|
 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.
 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.
 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 when 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 makes you think this team
could do some specials 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 would a new single-game record 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:
-
Chuck Verderber,
44 (Dec. 2, 1977,
vs. Danville)
-
Chuck Verderber, 43 (Jan.
15, 1977,
vs. Stephen Decatur)
-
Ben Brackney, 42 (Feb.
6, 2010,
vs. Normal West)
-
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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