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 But please, don’t let the 13 point margin fool you. Friday
night’s contest was the definition of hard fought, a challenge the
Railers were able to answer.
“I’m really proud of how our kids played tonight,” Coach Neil
Alexander said after the game. “In the first game, I didn’t think we
played really well, we didn’t pressure out on them. But tonight, we
did a great job and it was a big win.”
Just like two weeks ago against Glenwood when the Railers saw a
second half lead dwindle but never allow the Titans to take the
lead, the Generals used an 8-0 run early in the fourth quarter to
close within three at 41-38. However, the Railers, behind Block and
Cook, ended the game on a 14-4 run to seal the win. It was a night
where the Railers outrebounded the Generals 26-17 and shot 65
percent from the floor, including a blistering 81 percent from
three-point range.
 In what was most certainly their most physical game of the season,
the Railers were up to the challenge. Of course, early on, it didn’t
appear as though either team was going to score. The Railers’ first
possession lasted over 90 seconds but with no reward at the end.
After the Generals failed to get on the scoreboard, Aron Hopp’s
basket at the 5:35 mark broke the drought and was followed by Cook’s
first three of the night as the senior was on his way to a game high
17 points and arguably his best all-around game of the season.
Cook may have led the way, but the biggest early contribution came
from junior Garrett Aeilts. After point guard Payton Ebelherr was
accidently raked across the face, the senior went to the bench
favoring the area around his left eye. Aeilts came in and came up
big, hitting two threes early in the second quarter, the last giving
the Railers a 14-7 lead. “Tonight, Garrett played well. He got a
little taste of what it will be like next year when he will be
taking over that spot,” Alexander said.
After a General basket, Lincoln used defense to run out to their
largest lead of the night. A 10-0 run fueled by steals got the
Railers up 24-9. A three from Cook started the run, followed by
Isaiah Bowers hitting a three pointer after a Railer theft. A steal
from Block resulted in a long down court pass to Hopp who converted
the layup and it was Block again and his unselfish play. The Railer
leading scorer coming into the game was wide open for a 10-footer
but found a cutting Bowers on the baseline whose layup stretched the
lead to 15.
Things were looking good for the Railers but turnovers on their last
three possessions of the first half kept the lead from growing. The
last one gave Dallas McClain the chance to sink a three in the final
seconds of the half, pulling MacArthur within eight and the feeling
the momentum was with the Generals.
After Block put Lincoln back up by ten with an early third quarter
score on a drive, Kamari Jones and Amir Brummett scored after steals
to cut the margin to five at 26-21. Uncharacteristically, the
Railers were on their way to 18 turnovers on the evening. Hopp
slowed the push by the Generals only to see a quick score back by
Keymonta Johnson and inside move by Jones bring the game down to one
possession at 28-25. Block answered back with a three and Cook
scored on a tough back door after a pass from Ebelherr and the
Railers went back up 33-25.
Bowers hit his second three of the night to run the score to 36-27,
but another three from the Generals cut the margin again to six.
With the intensity in the gym going up with the closeness of the
game and the physical play, the biggest shot of the night came at
the end of the quarter. With a play called that normally sees a
Railer pop out in corner for a three, Cook saw the opening to the
basket and drove the lane, hitting the layup as the third quarter
ended. It felt like all the momentum in Decatur was wearing green as
Lincoln was up 38-30.
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Block, who hit double figures with 16 points, helped the lead grow
back to eleven with a three from the left corner and the Lincoln
bench and the Railer Nation seated behind him came to their
collective feet. In the earlier loss to MacArthur, the Railers
enjoyed a seven point lead only to see the full court pressure get
to Lincoln, forcing turnovers and helping the Generals storm past
the Railers for the win.
It didn’t take long for Railer Nation to be quieted.
Two long distance threes from Jones and a steal and score from
Brummett quickly, and I mean almost as fast as you could blink, the
lead had dropped to only three. But this time, the Railers put their
foot down.
A Cook three started the final run. From there, it was the Railers
using the MacArthur defense against them. That much pressure leaves
a lot of opportunities going to the basket and that is exactly what
Lincoln did. Cook drove twice sandwiched around a tough drive by
Block and suddenly the General crowd was the one that had quieted,
the silence broken only by the sound of heading down the stairs and
out the door.
Cook’s drive was the final basket of the night as MacArthur (16-7,
9-4) could do nothing but foul and hope the Railers would struggle
from the line. Block hit five of eight free throws down the stretch
as the Railers were able to avenge the loss to the Generals just two
weeks prior. The win was big, not only as it pertains to the
conference, but also in the postseason. Lincoln and MacArthur are
both assigned to the Mt. Zion regional and are positioning in the
battle for the number one seed. If the Railers can win the next
three games prior to when the seeds are announced, Friday night’s
win will go a long way to making that an easier decision.
Cook (17 points) and Block (16) led the way for the Railers with
Hopp and Bowers each scoring eight. Aeilts added six off the bench.
Block finished with a double-double, pulling down 11 boards. With
his board work, Block moved past Tim Bushell for sixth all-time on
the rebound list.
The Railers are back in action Saturday night in non-conference
action as they welcome Deerfield to town. The game is scheduled to
tip at 6:30 with the sophomores getting things started at 5:00. It
is the first of five consecutive home games for Lincoln and, like
Dorothy said, “there’s no place like home.”
LINCOLN (55)
Cook 7-9 0-0 17, Block 4-6 6-10 16, Hopp 4-8 0-0 8, Bowers 3-3 0-0
8, Aeilts 2-3 0-0 6, Perry 0-1 0-0 0, Ebelherr 0-1 0-0 0, Fry 0-0
0-0 0, Biggs 0-0 0-0 0. TEAM 20-31 6-10 55. 3pt FG 9-11 (Cook 3-3,
Block 2-2, Bowers 2-3, Aeilts 2-3, Perry 0-1). Rebounds 26, Assists
11, Turnovers 18
MACARTHUR (42)
Jones 14, McClain 8, Johnson 6, A.Brummett 5, Spates 4, K.Brummett
3, Bond 2. TEAM 16-43 4-5 42. 3pt FG 6-20 (Jones 3, McClain 2,
A.Brummett). Rebounds 17, Assists 10, Turnovers 13.
LCHS 8-16-14-17 55
MACARTHUR 4-12-14-12 42
[Jeff
Benjamin]
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