Sunday, December 21, 2014
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Railers get past Springfield 51-41

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[December 21, 2014]  LINCOLN  —  An 11-0 run that stretched into the second quarter helped the Lincoln Railers get past Springfield 51-41 in Central State Eight action at Roy S. Anderson Gymnasium on Saturday night. Senior Will Cook led three Railers in double figures with a career high 19 points as Lincoln improved to 7-2 overall and 3-1 in the CS8. Gavin Block added 13 points while Aron Hopp bounced back from a foul plagued Friday night with 10 points.

After waiting over five minutes to score at the beginning of the contest versus SHG the night before, Lincoln jumped out to an early 8-0 lead starting with a back door basket by Hopp. The Senators attacked the Railers defensively with man-to-man defense most of the evening and Lincoln looked to use their over aggressiveness against them. The Railers forced the Senators into turnovers which resulted in three pointers from Jordan Perry and Block. Most of the first half, the Lincoln defense, especially the top players on the zone, were either making steals or getting tip aways. It was encouraging to see the hand speed by the defense early in the game, but it is something that usually shows up later.

“I thought the defense did a nice job,” Coach Neil Alexander said. “We usually don’t see the amount of steals and such as early. It usually happens in the third quarter or later when opponents are getting fatigued.”

Springfield’s 6’8” Obediah Church, a Division I recruit, broke their drought with a 17 foot jumper, but that was answered by another three from Block. Church scored the Senators’ final points of the quarter on a lay-in over the front of the rim that took no effort. Lincoln’s final points came from the free throw line as Block and Cook combined to go 3 of 4 to give Lincoln a 14-6 lead.

Cook’s free throws started the 11-0 run that, for all intents, became the margin deciding portion of the game. Cook continued his shooting prowess by hitting the first of his five threes and then scoring on a back door to push the Lincoln lead to 19-6. An Ebelherr steal led to layup by Block and after Hopp scored on the alley oop on a pass from Ebelherr, Lincoln had stormed out to a 23-6 advantage.

Springfield (3-6) would not let the Railers run and hide as Isaac Nelson and Church converted offensive rebounds into points, Church’s included getting fouled after making a basket after three tip tries. With the Senators cutting the lead to 23-12, it was Cook again hitting the big shot to quell the Springfield run and push Lincoln’s lead back to 26-12. Great defense and pinpoint shooting helped the Railers take a 27-14 lead into halftime. Of course, anytime you can shoot 69 percent (9 of 13), you certainly hope you will have the lead. Since the 2009 season, being ahead at halftime has usually meant good things as Lincoln is 124-14 when leading at the half.
 


Those who are familiar with Lincoln basketball know many Railer wins have been built on the back of runs, scoring 12 or more points in a row to take the fight out of their opponents. In an unusual second half, neither Lincoln or Springfield could put together back to back scoring until the Senators scored the final two baskets of the game. Saturday night’s third quarter was a bit rough as the teams combined for only ten points. For Lincoln, it could have been trying on a pair of shoes they had not worn in a while. “We ran a spread offense that we had not run for a while,” Alexander said. “it will take a while to get used to but it was a bit stale. But they’ll get better. I thought in the second half we played good but not smart.”

Lincoln’s only baskets in the third came on a lay-in by Block after a handoff down low by Ebelherr, who later scored on a drive to the basket himself, and a baseline score from Hopp. Not the best quarter, but enough to increase the lead to 15 at 33-18.

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At the start of the fourth quarter, it was obvious Coach Matt Reed let his team know that they would have to pick up the intensity on defense if they would have a chance. It didn’t take long for the slow- down, low-scoring third quarter to turn into a racehorse game in the fourth. Nelson’s three cut the lead to twelve, but, once again, it was Cook answering back to prevent Springfield from feeling they could back into it. In similar fashion to the first quarter, Lincoln used the three as their primary weapon as twelve of their 18 points came from behind the three point line. Freshman Isaiah Bowers hit for three followed by another from Cook. When Cook connected for his fourth three of the evening, Lincoln was enjoying a 42-25 lead.

As much as the Senators tried, it was Lincoln’s night. It was not their best performance of the season, but a win is a win, especially in conference. Even though it was only one addition to the win column, games like this could add up quickly down the road. “This team is gaining confidence with every win,” Alexander said after the game. “Each time they win, they get more confidence and the more confident they are, the better chance we will play better so don’t give up on this team.”

For the third game in a row, there were three Railers in double figures. Cook’s 19 led the way followed by Block’s 13 and Hopp’s 10. Lincoln also got three apiece on the night from Perry, Ebelherr, and Bowers.

So now the Railers will take a break until after Christmas. On Saturday after Christmas, Lincoln will make the annual trek to Collinsville for the Schnucks Holiday Classic where they will play on the first day at 1:00pm against a much improved Urbana team. The tournament will take Sunday off and resume with a full two day schedule the following Monday. Lincoln will match up on the second day against either Quincy or Belleville East.

Hard to believe we are already almost one-third through the season. Lincoln is on pace for another 20 win season.

If anyone is surprised, you may just get coal in your stocking.

Merry Christmas to all of Railer Nation. Nobody does a Red and Green Season like Railer Nation.

LINCOLN (51)

Cook 6 2-2 19, Block 4 3-4 13, Hopp 4 2-2 10, Perry 1 0-0 3, Ebelherr 1 1-4 3, Bowers 1 0-0 3, Aeilts 0 0-0 0, Fry 0 0-0 0, Biggs 0 0-0 0. TEAM 17 8-12 51. 3-point FG 9 (Cook 5, Block 2, Perry, Bowers)

SPRINGFIELD (41)

Nelson 14, Kincaid 7, Church 6, Watters 4, Sandberg 4, Fitch 4. TEAM 18 2-4 41. 3-point FG 3 (Nelson 2, Sandberg).

LINCOLN 14-13-6-18 51
SPRINGFIELD 6-8-4-23 41

[Jeff Benjamin]

 

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