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 Early on, things were not going all Lincoln's way. Continuing a
troubling trend, the Railers found themselves behind at the end of
the first quarter 10-7. Friday night marked the seventh time in the last
nine games that Lincoln has trailed after the first eight minutes.
A Jordan Nelson basket put Lincoln up 7-2, but the Titans were
able to score the last eight points of the quarter to hold the three-point advantage. The visitors to Roy S. Anderson were able to hold
the lead despite getting only one basket, a 3, from Allen. The
freshman missed some open shots and was forced into a couple of
turnovers during his first encounter with the Railer Nation in
Lincoln.
Lincoln got a big boost off the bench from junior Christian Van
Hook. Van Hook scored Lincoln's first seven points in the second
quarter, his last first-half basket giving the Railers the 14-13
lead.
 Brant Coyne followed up with a
3, only to have Glenwood tie
the game at 17. One of the keys to the win was a good balance in
scoring. Entering the contest, Nelson and Nathaniel Smith had
accounted for almost 75 percent of the team's scoring over the past
nine games. On Friday night, eight players notched the scorebook, including
junior Jake Olson. Olson connected for a 3 to put the
Railers back up 20-17. Olson had hesitated before firing from the
left corner and draining the long-distance shot. The junior's five
points helped those named something other than Smith or Nelson
collect 28 of the Railers' 61 points.
After the game was tied at 20, Nelson scored the final six points of the
quarter to give Lincoln a 26-20 lead at halftime. Smith was held to
just two points in the first half but was making his mark on the
boards and distributing the basketball. Many easy chances for the
Railers were due to Smith's pushing of the ball and finding open
teammates. The senior led the team in assists with six.
Both teams shot just 8 of 23 (35 percent) in the first half.
Defensively, the Railers smothered Allen, holding him to only five
first-half points.
In the third quarter, Lincoln could not break free of the Titans.
The Railers' scoring started on a driving layup by Austin Kirby.
With Lincoln up 28-22, Glenwood's T.J. Gates hit one of his three
3s on the night to pull the Titans back to just one possession
at 28-25. Two straight baskets from Nelson pushed the lead back to
32-25.
Again, Glenwood would not go away, scoring to bring the Railer
lead down to five. Smith scored just nine on Friday, but the three
near the end of the quarter may have been the most acrobatic of the
bunch. After grabbing an offensive rebound, the senior, who passed Chuck
Verderber and moved into 10th place for all-time games played (96),
went back up, lost control of the ball in midair, grabbed it on the
way back down, flipped it into the basket and converted the free
throw.
As has happened too many times this season, the Railers were
victimized again by a buzzer-beater, as Glenwood's Tyler Thurston hit
from the area just in front of the scorer's bench as the third
quarter ended to pull the Titans (12-15, 4-11) to within six at
37-31.
With all the action at both ends, Glenwood was able to play the
Railers even in the third. The similarities continued as well, as
both teams continued to match shot for shot, going 4 for 9 in the
quarter.
The fourth quarter is where everything fell into place. The defense
allowed Glenwood only six shots, none of the makes coming from
Allen, and six different Railers scored in the quarter. Up 40-33,
the Railers exploded for a 19-6 run to put the contest into the win
column.
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The run included streaks from Nelson (6), Smith (4) and Van
Hook (4). In fact, all of Van Hook's 11 points came in two
different streaks. While the Titans made only half their shots,
Lincoln was able to go 6 of 11 while missing just one of 11 free throws in the quarter.
Nelson led the night with 24 points, his 91st game in double
figures, of which 36 have been with 20 or more. Van Hook joined
in double figures with 11 and led the squad with eight rebounds.
Smith scored nine and had five rebounds. Olson and Coyne scored
five, Jordan Gesner added a 3, while Kirby and Will Podbelsek
chipped in with two each. As a team, the Railers stepped up
from the free-throw line, going 19 of 24 (79 percent).
The Railers are back in action tonight as they welcome in Class
4A's Moline. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:30, but there
may be a bit of a delay as it is also Senior Night and Fan
Appreciation Night.
If you haven't done so this year, it would
be a good time to come out to Roy S. Anderson and show your
support for this squad, especially those who will be finishing
their Lincoln careers, whether it be athlete, cheerleader, pom
squad or band member. Of course, Fan Appreciation Night allows
fans a chance to mingle with the players after the game as well
as enjoy a bite to eat. It should be a special night.
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LINCOLN (61)
Nelson 7-17 7-8 24, Van Hook 3-5 5-8 11, Smith 3-9 3-4 9, Coyne
2-3 0-0 5, Olson 1-1 2-2 5, Gesner 1-1 0-0 3, Kirby 1-4 0-0 2,
Podbelsek 0-1 2-2 2, Eimer 0-1 0-0 0, Harris 0-0 0-0 0, Cook 0-0
0-0 0, Hays 0-1 0-0 0, Krusz 0-0 0-0 0. Team 18-43 19-24 61.
3-point field goals 6-16 (Nelson 3-8, Gesner 1-1, Olson 1-1,
Coyne 1-2, Podbelsek 0-1, Kirby 0-3).
Rebounds 31 (Van Hook 8),
assists 9 (Smith 6), steals 7 (Nelson 2),
turnovers 6.
Glenwood (42)
Thurston 13, Gates 9, Fuchs 7, Allen 5, McAdams 3, Fields 2,
Hudson 1, Nicholson 1, Sharp 1. Team 15-38 6-11 42.
3-point
field goals 6-22 (Gates 3, McAdams, Allen, Thurston).
Rebounds
24, assists 7, steals 2, turnovers 13.
Score by quarters:
End of first quarter -- Glenwood 10, LCHS 7
Halftime -- LCHS 26, Glenwood 20
End of third quarter -- LCHS 37, Glenwood 31
[By JEFF BENJAMIN]
Jeff Benjamin's Railer basketball articles
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