Saturday, November 27, 2010
Sports News

Railers roll over Morton 80-52

By Jeff Benjamin

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[November 27, 2010]  If the new post-Thanksgiving tradition is to get things taken care of by showing up early and getting the job done, Black Friday 2010 must have provided great inspiration as the Railers used a drag race-style start off the line to demolish Morton 80-52 on the third night of the Lincoln/Eaton Round Robin Tournament.

The win leaves Lincoln as the only undefeated team in the tournament, with a doubleheader at Roy S. Anderson Gymnasium on tap for Saturday.

In the first two games, the Railers and their opponents played nip and tuck for about half of the first quarter, only to see Lincoln use a run to take a lead they would never give up. An early layup by senior Jordan Nelson put the Potters in a hole that would only get bigger.

A 16-2 run fueled by hot shooting, good defense and a "what just hit us" malaise from Morton seemingly put this game in the win column very early. That is, unless, you're Lincoln coach Neil Alexander.

"I didn't feel comfortable until the fourth quarter," Alexander said. "This is a good team in Morton, and they're the type of team that can make a run."

The senior trio of Nelson, Nathaniel Smith and Brant Coyne combined for 64 points and 14 of the team's 15 made 3-pointers to improve to 3-0 on the season. Simply put, in the first quarter, Morton had no answer for the seniors. Smith's hustle on both ends resulted in two rebounds on the first possession for each team, as well as helping defend the main cogs of the Morton machine.

"One thing I thought we did real well was keep the ball out of the middle," Alexander said.

On the scoreboard, the first quarter belonged to Nelson. The guard scored 16 of his career-high 37 points in the first quarter, connecting for four of the single-game record-tying nine 3-pointers. He joins Jason Osborn and Brock Werner with nine in a game. Werner's feat was almost eight years ago.

Nelson's shots came from all areas of the court, some created on nice looks from teammates, others on moves off the dribble that have Morton defenders still trying to find him.

As the scoreboard read 21-7 at the end of the first quarter, the Potters (2-1) had to feel they had weathered the hot shooting from Lincoln and could claw their way back into the contest.


Coach Jarrett Brown's Potters certainly played better in the second quarter, losing the quarter only 21-16. The unfortunate thing was that some of the reason they stayed in the game was the hot shooting from Nelson cooled off. After being almost unstoppable in the first quarter, along with defenders trying a little harder to stay with him, Nelson seemed to tire, leaving his misses short.

Like any shooter trying to find that rhythm, Nelson continued to shoot. Smith scored the first basket of the quarter, a wide-open 3 followed by a Jake Olson layup after opportunistic Railer defense. When Coyne connected for the second time from long range, the Lincoln lead was stretched to 29-10.

After a pair of Jordan Genser free throws, Smith's drive and layup followed by another Coyne 3-pointer had Morton staring at a 36-17 deficit.

Nelson scored the final three baskets of the half, giving the Railers a 42-23 lead at intermission.

As much as the first quarter was the domain of Jordan Nelson, the third quarter belonged to Nathaniel Smith. Smitty scored 11 of his 18 in the third, giving him double figures for the 31st time in his Railer career. Whether it was wide-open jumpers, drive and pull-up, or strong drives and moves in the lane, Smith seemed on a mission to show teams that Nelson is not the only Railer to worry about.

Water

Smith's actions on Friday did not go unnoticed by Alexander. The coach said, "He's making good decisions, and I thought tonight was one of his better games at LCHS." Those decisions helped him lead the team with seven rebounds and five assists.

Coyne's 3-pointers played a key role by pulling some of the size of Morton away from the basket defensively. Each time Coyne connected, which he did three times from long range, the defense was forced out more and more, leaving the lane open for drives to the basket.

At the end of three, Morton was just wanting to get the game over with, trailing 62-38.


[to top of second column]

Another Railer who played well was Christian Van Hook. Railer fans saw glimpses of what he could do last year, and now they're getting to see more and more of it. Whether it is athletic moves to, and above, the rim or his crowd-pleasing blocked shots, the junior is becoming more of an option on the offensive end. Friday night, Van Hook scored eight points, six of those in the final quarter.

Morton could draw no closer than 24 in the fourth quarter and Lincoln pulled away for an easy win, 80-52.

Nelson led with 37, including the nine 3-pointers. Smith added 18, Coyne scored nine, Van Hook had eight, Jordan Gesner added five, and Olson had two, while Austin Kirby scored a late free throw to get the Railers to 80.

Exterminator

For the game, it was outstanding shooting as the Railers hit 59 percent (31 of 53) for the game, which included 15 for 31 (48 percent) from beyond the arc.

Next up for the Railers, a Saturday doubleheader. First, at 11:30, Lincoln plays Cahokia. In the last game of the tournament, Danville provides the opponent at 8:30 p.m.

Other scores from Friday night saw Centennial beat Althoff 66-54, and Cahokia needed overtime to beat Danville 71-67. Cahokia forced the extra session on a shot at the end of regulation.

So, only three games in. How does Lincoln coach Alexander view the first three games?

"If you look at the stats, through three games, what I most happy about is only 14 turnovers. Taking care of the ball along with great shooting will cover up a lot of weaknesses," he said.

If you're not doing anything and want to see some good basketball, make a trip out to LCHS for a great day of basketball to wrap up the Thanksgiving week. If you can't make it out there, make sure to stop by Lincoln Daily News online for the latest.

___

LINCOLN (80)

Nelson 14 0-1 37, Smith 8 0-0 18, Coyne 3 0-0 9, Van Hook 4 0-2 8, Gesner 1 2-2 5, Olson 1 0-0 2, Kirby 0 1-2 1, Hays 0 0-0 0, Krusz 0 0-0 0 Team 31 3-7 80.
3-point field goals 15 (Nelson 9, Coyne 3, Smith 2, Gesner).

Morton (52)

Swinford 13, Headean 8, Bisping 8, Lundeen 6, Rossi 5, Losen 4, White 3, Dullard 3, Streeter 2. Team 18 11-13 52.
3-point field goals 5 (Headean 2, Swinford, Dullard, Rossi).

Notes:

  • Nelson's scoring output has moved him into fifth all-time on the scoring list, past Matt Schick. Next in Nelson's sights is Seymour Reed at 1,478.

  • Nelson also took a big step toward claiming the top spot in 3s made. He stands at 252, just 29 behind Gregg Alexander.

[By JEFF BENJAMIN]

Jeff Benjamin's Railer basketball articles

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