 After being shocked at home
Friday night by SHG, Lincoln was looking to rebound quickly against
an Eisenhower team that entered the contest with just two wins in
their 19 games. The Railers jumped out to a quick 8-3 lead,
with all the
points from Jordan Nelson, who scored a game-high 18. However,
after that, Eisenhower was able to dictate the pace the rest of the
half, slowing the game to almost that of a snail stuck in molasses
going uphill.
The Panthers (2-18) went on a
19-2 run to end the first half, giving Eisenhower a 20-10 lead at
the half. That score was almost a complete reversal of the
first matchup from Collinsville, when the Railers held a 22-10
advantage.
"I thought they had a good game plan," Lincoln coach Neil Alexander said,
"and they stuck with it."
The Railers certainly came to
play on Saturday night, the effort was there, but the shots were
just not going down. The double-digit lead for the Panthers was
aided by Lincoln shooting only 17 percent (4 of 23) in the first
half, including just 2 of 14 from 3-point range. Eisenhower
took only 13 shots but made the most of them, going 7 of 13 and
missing only one of their four attempts from behind the arc.
The second half started just
the same way as Eisenhower slowed the pace and scored the first
basket of the quarter for their largest lead of the night, 22-10. Junior Austin Kirby got the
Railer scoring started with a 3 from the
left side for his only points of the night.
After another Panther
bucket, the game plan for the Railers seemed to be to get Smith to the
basket. The senior scored Lincoln's
next five points, using drives to either get baskets or get fouled. After
the Railers cut the Eisenhower lead to 24-18, the Panthers pulled back
out by eight, but Lincoln climbed even closer. A Nelson basket and
two free throws from Smith cut the lead to four at 26-22. Once
again, Eisenhower kept trying to stay another step ahead, but after
getting up 28-22, the Railers used two trademark 3s to knot the
game at 28, one each from Nelson and Smith.
The fourth quarter started
just as the third ended as Nelson's basket gave the Railers the lead
for good at 30-28. The score also capped off a 20-6 run and the
catalyst, as usual, was the defense. The Railers turned up the pressure
after halftime, and even though the Panthers tried to keep the game
slowed down, too much Lincoln pressure forced many of the 18 Panther
turnovers.
Those who did not score in
the contest, like Jordan Gesner and Jake Olson, came up with five of
the Railer steals on the night. Another player without points on
the night who drew high praise from Alexander was Brant
Coyne. The senior led the way on the
boards with six rebounds and brought a tenacity Railer Nation would
like to see for the next five weeks.
"I thought Brant played
really, really well," Alexander said. "It's what I tell the guys:
If you aren't scoring, there are so many other things you can do to
help win."
Coyne made an early statement in the game by crashing the
offensive boards and either grabbing the rebound or tipping it out,
saving the possession for Lincoln.
With the Railers up 32-31,
another two from Smith and a free throw from Christian Van Hook pushed
the lead to four at 35-31. Eisenhower's final score got them as
close as they would get for the rest of the night as Smith and
Nelson rounded out the Railers scoring from the free-throw line to
pull out a seven-point win.
Second-half shooting for
Lincoln was not great, but the 45 percent was much better than the
first half. The Panthers shot only 33 percent and did not hit any
of their 3-point attempts. Ultimately, it was the defense. In
forcing 18 turnovers, the Railers were able to score 17 points off
those mistakes, while Eisenhower scored only four points on six
Lincoln miscues.
The Railers have another home
doubleheader this weekend. On Friday night, Chatham Glenwood will
visit, while the Saturday guests will be Moline. Saturday night is
also Senior Night, so make sure you take time to be there to show
your respect for the seniors and their families, not just those in
basketball, for their years of hard work. Their hard work over many
years has entertained us, and it is time for us to let them know how
much it has been appreciated. Both games are scheduled to tip
around 7:30 p.m.
Along with Senior Night,
Saturday night is also Fan Appreciation Night.
[to top of second column] |
So, where does this leave the
Railers as the regular-season schedule has dwindled down to just
three games? Well, the obvious answer is 22-5.
So far, that has garnered them
the No. 1 seed in their own regional, a regional that could
possibly be the toughest in the state. I'm talking long term. I'll
say I'm looking at a "perfect 10." Now, for you old-timers, I'm
not talking about Bo Derek. Ten. I'll explain in just a moment.
After Saturday's game and
during the day on Sunday, I had a number of folks wanting to talk
about Lincoln basketball. Along with the normal questions, there
was concern. Yes, they've lost two of three. But they are 22 and
5. I'd say there are a number of schools that would love to be
22-5.
But this is Lincoln,
and there are always expectations. But again, my answer always came
back to 10. That's how many games Lincoln has left: three in
the regular season and seven in the tournament.
"Why Lincoln? Why do you think they will make it to Peoria?"
How about looking at it this way -- "Why not Lincoln?"
As coach Alexander pointed out
during the postgame show, there are no behemoths this year, no
Champaign Centennials.
Showing no disrespect to other
teams along the way, I don't see any game and think: "Well, it would
be nice to get there, but that's probably where the ride will end."
Are other teams going to just roll over and let Lincoln blow past
them? No way. Will the Railers have to put together a balanced,
team-oriented, defensive-minded effort? Absolutely.
Can they? Most definitely. It is possible the two games this past weekend will pull the
remainder of this season into focus, a reminder that once March gets
here, a bad game could be your last game. I truly believe this team
has what it takes, the players and the coaches, to do something very
special. In fact, I go back to how my Railer basketball preview
from back in November ended...:
"As every Harry Potter fan knows, he became known simply as The
Boy Who Lived. Who knows? Maybe in March, this team will be known as
The Team That Won ... It All."
Be patient. You may not enjoy
how the book on this Railer season is being written, but just wait.
The final chapter has not yet been written.
___
LINCOLN (40)
Nelson 6-18 3-4 18, Smith 5-11
5-7 16, Kirby 1-4 0-0 3, Van Hook 1-4 1-2 3, Gesner 0-3 0-0 0, Coyne
0-2 0-0 0, Olson 0-0 0-0 0, Podbelsek 0-1 0-0 0, Cook 0-0 0-0 0. Team 13-43 9-13 40.
3-point field goals 5-24 (Nelson 3-12, Smith
1-3, Kirby 1-4, Coyne 0-1, Podbelsek 0-1, Gesner 0-3).
Rebounds 22
(Coyne 6), assists 9 (Nelson 6), steals 11 (Olson 3), turnovers 6.
Decatur Eisenhower (33)
Smith 11, Calmese 9, Dorsey 4,
Martin 4, Lewis 4, Dawson 1. Team 12-28 6-8 33.
3-point field
goals 3-8 (Smith 2, Calmese).
Rebounds 28, assists 4, steals 3,
turnovers 18.
Score by quarters:
End of first quarter
-- Eisenhower 10, LCHS 8
Halftime -- Eisenhower 20, LCHS
10
End of third quarter
-- LCHS 28, Eisenhower 28
[By
JEFF BENJAMIN]
Jeff Benjamin's Railer basketball articles
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