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 Lincoln was led by four players in double figures, shot 62
percent from the field including 64 percent from 3-point range,
and scored 31 points off 23 Jacksonville turnovers.
Whether it was the crisp ball movement, the sharp cuts to the
basket, the extra pass (sometimes two) to find just a little better
shot, or that something on defense, those wearing the red and green
on Monday played an inspired game, evidenced by the score.
At the beginning of the game, the Railers, simply put, could not
miss. Whether it was the bullet passing from Jordan Nelson to
Nathaniel Smith for inside baskets or the 3-point shooting by
Jordan Gesner and Nelson, Lincoln blistered the nets on the way to
an early 13-4 advantage. By the time the first quarter was over, so
was the game. It wasn't just the 24-9 lead by Lincoln, it was that
"something" that's been missing for the past month. Unlike previous
games with double-digit leads, Monday night, the Railers were the
hunters, and even though their prey was wounded, there would be no
letting up.
Jacksonville (6-11, 3-4) made a little better accounting for
themselves in the second quarter, but not nearly enough to make a
dent in the scoreboard. A 19-8 run to start the quarter pushed the
Railer lead to 43-17. The Crimsons were able to score the last four
points of the quarter, but Lincoln held a 43-21 lead.
In fact, the Railers matched the output of their first game in
December (43-24 win on Dec. 17) in just the first 16
minutes. Of course, that can happen when you hit 17 of 27 shots (63
percent) including an 8-of-13 performance from 3-point range.
The Railers used another barrage of 3-point shots to make the
outcome obvious. Nelson and Austin Kirby connected from long range
while Smith and Brant Coyne took care of the inside to extend the
Lincoln lead to 56-24. At this point, it really became just a matter
of what the final margin would be and would everyone on the bench
get into the contest. An answer to the second one first
-- yes, everyone got in some
minutes on Monday night, and when Jake Olson hit a 3 for
Lincoln's final points of the night, he took care of two Meijer Classic
records in one fell swish. Lincoln's 82 points, also the Railers'
high output of the season, bested the previous tournament high of 79
set by Alton in 2006, while the 3 gave the Railers the new mark
in 3s made in a single game (16), a mark they previously held
from 2008.
Really, the only thing that seemed amiss from this game was
technical difficulties preventing the radio broadcast of the game.
More on that later.
The performance from all involved in the game was outstanding. Yes,
it was against a struggling Jacksonville team and it would be nice
to see a showing like this against Springfield, Southeast, any
school that likes to play the Railers just a bit more physically.
However, after a few nail-biters and Friday night stunners, a 35-point win makes that hospitality room pasta taste just a little bit
better.
Again, a solid performance, from Nelson's 3-point shooting and
team-high nine assists, to Smith's high-percentage night from the
field along with seven rebounds and five steals, to Kirby's almost perfect
shooting from 3-point range while tying a career high, to Gesner's
finding his 3-point stroke, and Coyne's overall strong game with
six points, four rebounds and three assists.
Lincoln was led by Smith and Nelson, each scoring 19. Kirby added
12, and Gesner joined in double figures with 11. Coyne scored six, as
did sophomore Will Podbelsek, connecting on two 3s. Olson
chipped in with five, Christian Van Hook scored three, and Matt Hays
tallied one.
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Lincoln's next game will be Wednesday night against Rochester, a
team the Railers handled 43-22 back in December. Tip time is
scheduled for 6:30 at Glenwood High School. Other Monday night
scores: Highland 48, Rochester 42; and Glenwood 68, Taylorville
38.
___
LINCOLN (82)
Smith 7-11 5-5 19, Nelson 6-8 1-2 19, Kirby 4-5 0-0 12, Gesner
4-7 0-0 11, Coyne 3-6 0-0 6, Podbelsek 2-6 0-0 6, Olson 2-3 0-0
5, Van Hook 1-1 1-2 3, Hays 0-0 1-2 1, Eimer 0-0 0-0 0, Harris
0-0 0-0 0, Cook 0-0 0-0 0, Heidbreder 0-0 0-0 0, Krusz 0-0 0-0
0, Bowlby 0-0 0-0 0. Team 29-47 8-11 82.
3-point field goals
16-25 (Nelson 6-7, Kirby 4-5, Gesner 3-6, Podbelsek 2-4, Olson
1-2, Coyne 0-1).
Rebounds 20 (Smith 7), assists 23 (Nelson 9),
steals 12 (Smith 5), turnovers 10.
Jacksonville (47)
Peak 17, Lonergan 9, Dugan 9, Pate 4, Kuo 4, N. Jones 2, Keene
2. Team 20-32 3-8 47.
3-point field goals 4-10 (Dugan 3, Lonergan). Rebounds 18, assists 9, steals 5,
turnovers 23.
Score by quarters:
End of first quarter -- LCHS 24, Jacksonville 9
Halftime -- LCHS 43, Jacksonville 21
End of third quarter -- LCHS 70, Jacksonville 37
Other notes:
-
Meijer Winter Classic records set Monday night:
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Most points by a winning team
-- 82 (Alton, 2006).
-
Most 3-point field goals
-- 16 (Lincoln, 2008).
-
The 27 points in the third quarter ties the high quarter for
the season.
-
The 82 points on the night bests the 80 points scored against
Morton.
-
Nelson passed 300 career
3s made (302).
-
Nelson tied Jason Osborn for most games hitting
six 3s or
more in a game (eight times).
-
Nelson is now fifth all-time in games played, with 112, passing
Gregg Alexander and just one behind Derek Schrader for fourth.
Now, the apologies. I would like to apologize for the lack of
the radio broadcast on Monday night. Without getting into all
the technical issues, a main phone line feeding the lines that
go to the radio station has issues whenever there is an unusual
amount of moisture in the ground where the line is located.
There were some issues Saturday morning, but they had resolved
themselves by Saturday night's game, acting up only at the very
end of the game. Unfortunately, the issues did not subside and
the Monday game broadcast did not happen.
I certainly do pass on thanks
to Jim Ash and Paula Kodatt, who did everything they could do at
the station, including some baling wire and chewing gum
configurations, to try to get a broadcast on the air. It just
didn't happen and I have no excuses. I hope our faithful
listeners will tune in for the rest of the week.
[By JEFF BENJAMIN]
Jeff Benjamin's Railer basketball articles
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