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 Coming off Saturday night’s one point win over Deerfield, the
Railers got off to a good start in a game in which they would never
trail. Senior Will Cook, who had 14 points, got the scoring started
with a pair of three pointers around an SHG basket and a after a
score from Block, Lincoln had charged out to an 8-2 advantage. A
three from SHG's Sean McDonald brought the Cyclones (10-12, 5-9) to
within three. After SHG found much of Lincoln’s offense coming from
behind the three point line, the Railers changed up the attack and
concentrated on getting the ball in the lane and looking for the
cutter.
Aron Hopp was the recipient of passes, on cuts to the basket, from
Block and Isaiah Bowers and Lincoln had built their lead back to
four at 12-8 as the first quarter came to an end.
A free throw from Gabe Green, the quarterback from the SHG football
squad, who split a pair of free throws brought the Cyclones within
three. The Railers proceeded to take control of the game by going on
a 15-2 run, fueled mostly by the play of freshman Bowers. Block
started the run by draining a three and then Bowers took over. Hopp
found Bowers heading downcourt after a rebound and it was the
freshman taking on Green. Bowers caught the pass like a receiver
heading down field, made a move and headed to the basket, laying in
it and drawing the foul. The free throw put Lincoln up 18-9.
The Railers’ next points came after Bowers missed a shot in the lane
only to grab the rebound and put it back in. Cook joined in the fun
by hitting his second three of the night and then it was back to
Bowers for a shot down low. The run forced SHG coach Blake Lucas to
take a timeout as the lead had expanded to 25-9. A basket from
McDonald ended the Lincoln scoring streak but a baseline jumper from
Bowers stopped any momentum sway. Two more free throws from Green
ended the scoring for SHG while Cook’s steal and twisting layup set
the halftime score at 29-13. But it was Bowers that caught the
attention of the coaches.
“I thought Isaiah played a great game,” Coach Neil Alexander said.
“He did a good job of doing what we asked him to do and getting
where he needed to be. He had been playing some in the jv game, then
cooling off, but tonight he was ready to go from the start.”
Part of the reason Lincoln was able to take a 16 point lead at the
half was the ability to take care of the basketball, committing only
one turnover. Unfortunately, that would not be the case in the
second half.
A three from Alex Mandeville got the second half scoring started for
SHG. Lincoln’s points were limited early to three of four from the
free throw line from Block. Another three from McDonald brought the
Cyclones closer only to seeBlock and Cook hit three pointers and
stretch the lead to what should have been a relaxing 19 point margin
of 38-19.
“We had them right there on the edge,” Alexander said, “at the point
where we could have ended it, but I told them they (SHG) would not
quit. They had a lot of fight and took it to us.”
 Thanks to erratic ball handling resulting in 10 second half
turnovers, quick and forced shots by Lincoln and the ability for SHG
to get open looks and easy shots, the Cyclones ran off nine in a row
to cut the lead to ten at 38-28. At the end of the third quarter,
there was a quiet uneasy feeling at Roy S. Anderson Gymnasium.
So, if something worked before, why not go back to that again.
That’s exactly what the Railers did to start the fourth quarter as
Hopp found Bowers open on the low block. Bowers mishandled the pass
a bit, but showed the composure of senior when he gathered himself,
let the defender go by and laid it up and in. Bowers was the third
Railer in double figures with 13 points. Hopp scored on a layup
followed by a pair of free throws from Block and the lead was back
to 16 at 44-28. Bowers scored the last of his points to put the
Railers up 46-30.
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From there, it was all about the free throw line. Lincoln (21-4,
11-3) hit seven of their last 10 free throws to seal the win with
SHG getting only as close as 11 during the game’s final stretches.
Block hit six of eight, while Payton Ebelherr split his pair. It was
not the prettiest of wins, but it was a win.
“I thought we played a great first half,” Alexander said. “At
halftime, we just talked about doing what you’ve been doing in the
first half and keeping it up. We were ahead and playing well so you
really don’t want to get on them.”
Whatever the case, it was a win, but not a full 32 minutes. On a
Friday night in February, it is the type of play that can get you a
win. The same effort during March against the wrong team may end
your season. The regular season ends in two weeks. Hopefully, they
get closer to 32 minutes before it is too late.
Three Railers broke double figures led by Block’s 19. Cook added 14
with Bowers scoring 13. Hopp scored six with Ebelherr the only other
Railer to score with one.
So, now the Railers wait until Tuesday when Lanphier comes to call.
It will be a chance for Lincoln to avenge one of their four losses
on the season and could go a long way into to deciding the CS8
crown. A big crowd is needed for this one. I don’t think it will be
as crowded as the last time Lanphier visited Lincoln, but a huge
turnout from Railer Nation would be appreciated. Game time for the
varsity is set for 7:30 with the sophomores, who won on Friday night
55-40, starting at 6:00.
The Railers remained tied at the head of the conference with
Glenwood surviving an overtime win over Springfield. Elsewhere in
the conference, it was a night where all the home teams won
including Rochester beating Eisenhower, Lanphier won over
Jacksonville, and Southeast surprised MacArthur by 18. The current
CS8 standings look this way:
LINCOLN 11-3
Glenwood 11-3
Lanphier 10-4
MacArthur 9-5
Southeast 7-7
SHG 5-9
Jacksonville 5-9
Springfield 5-9
Eisenhower 4-10
Rochester 3-11
LINCOLN (53)
Block 3-9 11-14 19, Cook 5-7 0-0 14, Bowers 6-9 1-1 13, Hopp 3-6 0-0
6, Ebelherr 0-2 1-2 1, Perry 0-2 0-0 0, Aeilts 0-0 0-0 0. TEAM 17-35
13-17 53. 3pt FG 6-17 (Cook 4-6, Block 2-6, Bowers 0-1, Perry 0-2,
Ebelherr 0-2). Rebounds 23, Assists 13, Turnovers 11.
SHG (41)
McDonald 15, Mandeville 12, Green 6, Bloink 4, Andrews 2, O’Connor
2. TEAM 14-41 5-6 41. 3pt FG 6-14 (Mandeville 4, McDonald 3, Green).
Rebounds 24, Assists 9, Turnovers 14.
LCHS 12-17-9-15 53
SHG 8-5-15-13 41
[Jeff Benjamin]
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