Railers too much for Tornadoes in 57-34 win

[February 04, 2010]  CHATHAM -- Based on the events near the end of the first half on Monday night, it seemed quite improbable that Taylorville would have to face the Railers with junior guard Jordan Nelson. Nelson, who was injured trying to take a charge with 30 seconds left in the first quarter of Monday's two-point win over Jacksonville, could not find a position that provided him more than one or two minutes of being pain-free.

Nelson must have gotten a heck of a good night's sleep. The junior guard not only played, but started, and led the Railers to a first-quarter explosion of 3-point shooting that propelled Lincoln to an easy 57-34 win on the second night of the Meijer Winter Classic in Chatham.

Coach Neil Alexander discussed the guard's injury, saying, "It's a deep bruise. He can't hurt it any worse than it is. It's going to be sore, but he'll just have to play through it."

During pregame warmups, Nelson was not only shooting, but dribbling back and forth in an attempt to stay loose for the start of the contest. And when the contest began, the Railers left Taylorville at the starting blocks.

Nelson and Ben Brackney combined to score Lincoln's first 23 points, including seven 3-point field goals to give the Railers (17-2, 7-1) a 20-point lead at the end of the first quarter, 23-3. Brackney's first 3, about a minute into the contest, put the senior into the 1,000-point club, joining Nelson, who passed the milestone last Friday at SHG. Lincoln had one of those quarters from long range, going 7 of 10 from behind the arc.

The second quarter began with junior Nathaniel Smith hitting a 3, continuing a 20-0 run. The Tornadoes were able to hit a couple of 3s to cut the game to 26-9, but Lincoln ran off another 10 in a row, and the outcome of the contest was clearly already decided as the Railers led 36-12.

Not only was the offense on top of its game, the defense really played well against an overmatched Taylorville squad in search of its first win of the season. Possession after possession, the Tornadoes struggled to get the ball into the frontcourt, and when they did, they had difficulty keeping it away from the quick hands of the Railer zone.

The Railers led 42-15 at the half with three players already in double figures. This after Monday night's game, when only Brackney reached double figures.

Nelson scored a quick five early in the third to finish with 19 points. Upon his departure, he left the bench area and went to the locker room to begin treatment of his injury.

The rest of the Railers were more than able to handle things without their leading scorer. However, Taylorville did show a great deal of heart and effort, finding their stroke from 3-point range. The Tornadoes (0-17) were able to hit three in a row to pull as close as they would for the rest of the contest at 49-30.

With the game in control, coach Alexander was able to get everyone on the roster into the contest. Only six players got on the scoreboard, but everyone picked up valuable floor time that may pay off down the line.

Lincoln was outscored 19-15, but it wasn't enough to change the verdict, as the Railers won by the final of 57-34.

Nelson and Brackney led the way with 19 points each, and Smith joined in double figures with 14. Reuben Bowlby and Jordan Gesner each added a basket, while Brandon Miller hit a late free throw for his only point of the night.

For the game, Lincoln finished 20 of 49 (41 percent), including 12 of 31 from 3-point range, a 39 percent clip.

The Railer defense held Taylorville down to just 29 percent (11 of 38) from the floor. The Tornadoes hit 8 of 27 in 3-point shots.

The Railers now get a couple of days off, at least from game action, before they take the floor again for a tough contest Friday night against Glenwood.

Depending on Wednesday night's results, that contest could go a long way to determine this year's Meijer Classic champion. It also is a game the Railers can't let get away if they have any hopes of staying in the race for the conference championship.

As always, you can keep up to date on what's going on with the Railers right here at www.lincolndailynews.com.

The other score from the evening saw Glenwood knock off Highland 55-41. Through the first two nights of the tournament, the standings are as follows: Lincoln 2-0, Glenwood 1-0, Highland 1-1, Jacksonville 0-1 and Taylorville 0-2.

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LINCOLN (57)

Nelson 7 0-0 19, Brackney 6 3-4 19, Smith 5 1-1 14, Gesner 1 0-0 2, Bowlby 1 0-0 2, Miller 0 1-2 1, Kirby 0 0-0 0, Coyne 0 0-0 0, Turner 0 0-0 0, Van Hook 0 0-0 0, Olson 0 0-0 0, Hays 0 0-0 0, Krusz 0 0-0 0, Green 0 0-0 0. Team 20 5-7 57. 3-point field goals 12 (Nelson 5, Brackney 4, Smith 3).

TAYLORVILLE (34)

Yard 14, Handegan 9, Heil 7, Ehrhardt 3, Bollinger 1. Team 11 4-8 34. 3-point field goals 8 (Yard 3, Handegan 3, Heil 2).

Lincoln 23-19-10-5
Taylorville 3-12-15-4

Other notes:

• With his 19 points, Jordan Nelson finds himself in 13th place on the all-time scoring list with 1,050 points. He is 54 points behind Paul Kendrick for 12th.

• Ben Brackney is now 16th on the all-time scoring list, having passed Jason Osborn.

• All-time at the Meijer Classic, the Railers are 31-5.

[Special report by JEFF BENJAMIN]