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 This year, the Generals made sure there would be no extra
basketball and that the Railers would not be making a return trip to
Peoria.
Dallas McClain and Kamari Jones combined to hit eight three pointers
and score 30 points as the Generals ended the season of the
top-seeded Railers with a convincing 57-38 win on Friday night at
Mt. Zion High School. Ironically, it was the same score by which the
Railers advanced to the regional title game in their Tuesday night
win over Mt. Zion.
“That is a good basketball team over there,” Coach Neil Alexander
said after the game. “And unfortunately for us, they are young. They
are going to be good, as is everyone in our conference.”
In falling for the third time in their last four games, Lincoln’s
season ended at 25-7. It is a record a majority of schools would
love to have. But for the Lincoln Railers, especially this season’s
squad, a return trip to Peoria was on the checklist.
In the previous two matchups, the teams split with each team winning
on the other’s home court. It shaped up as a game on contrasting
styles with MacArthur trying to push the tempo and playing pressure
defense while the Railers would do what the normally do. But, it was
the Generals that played the patient, slowdown game and they played
it better than the Railers did. In the end, the game for the Railers
felt a lot like a number of games over the past month.
“Well, for the past month, these guys have been dead tired,”
Alexander said. “We didn’t shoot well and that is part of it. But,
they didn’t quit or give up, even at the end.”
Early in the game, it was the inability to contain Keymonta Johnson
down low. Johnson scored the game’s first basket for MacArthur, but
the Railers tied it as Gavin Block, who played his final Railer
game, scored off an out of bounds play. Johnson again found himself
down low and open, giving the lead back to the Generals (21-9).
As he did on Tuesday night, Aron Hopp found an open lane to his
liking by driving down an open lane to tie the game at four. Hopp’s
next drive didn’t result in a basket, but sent the junior to the
line where his free throws put Lincoln up 6-4. Still finding no way
to stop Johnson, the 6-2 junior knotted the game at six with another
easy toss off the glass. Lincoln was able to get their final lead of
the season as Jordan Perry hit from behind the arch. As they would
do all night, when MacArthur needed a big shot, they had the answer
and came up time after time.
McClain quickly came down court and hit from the left wing to tie
the game and after the Railers did not take the lead back, McClain
hit from the same spot to give the Generals a 12-9 lead. In the
first game against Lincoln, McClain hit five threes and he was on
his way to another big night versus the Railers. A drive by Block
finished the scoring in the first quarter with Lincoln down only
12-11.
 It was another quick start for MacArthur in the second quarter as
Johnson and Jones each scored down low to push the margin to six at
17-11. After Block was fouled, an odd decision by the officials may
have disrupted Block’s rhythm. As Block had the ball to shoot the
first free throw, one of the Generals stepped in the spaces along
the lane. Instead of allowing Lincoln to shoot the free throw and
award a replacement free throw if he missed, the violation was
waived off as the official took the ball from Block, allowed the
player to find a spot on the line, and proceed as thought nothing
had happened. It could have been the distraction, but Block missed
the front end of the one and one only to have the Railers get the
rebound. After a miss, it was Block who made the basket and the free
throw for the three point play to bring Lincoln to within 17-14.
But, as the night’s theme would be, the momentum stopped there as
Jones hit from the top of the key to negate Lincoln’s scoring and go
back up by six. Block finished the half’s scoring with a pair of
free throws and Lincoln headed to the locker room down 20-16 and
looking for any kind of spark. Many thought that spark came from a
missed shot by MacArthur. At the end of the half, a three from the
Generals went at least three quarters of the way down the basket, so
much so that one of the officials had his hands raised as though a
three had been made. However, the shot spun right back out and you
wanted to have the sense that you may have just seen the sign that
it would be the Railers’ night.
Not tonight.
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The pace picked up in the second half as the Railers turned it over
in the early seconds which turned into another three from McClain
and it was a quick jump to a seven point lead. A drive by Block
ended with a shovel pass to Hopp who scored to cut the game to
23-18. As teams traded baskets, Block scored on a drive to get the
game to 25-20. After Shantrez Spates scored on a wild shot off the
glass, the Railers made their move. Perry hit his second three from
the corner only to be followed by a finger roll layup by Block off a
drive down the lane and it was now just a two point game at 27-25.
MacArthur got a free throw and then a basket from Shaquez Bond, but
Lincoln answered with a reverse layup by Block. Again, as Lincoln
tried to close the gap, it was Jones and McClain who pushed back and
put the deficit at the end of three at 36-29. With all the seniors
on the floor, maybe it would be a freshman to Lincoln back in the
game. Starting the fourth quarter, it certainly felt so. Isaiah
Bowers scored on a floater off the glass in the lane and then a
drive from the low block and it was now a three point game.
If only the Railers had been able to get the big stop on the night,
but it was not meant to be. Johnson scored from about 13 feet only
to be answered by a basket from Hopp. That’s when it all fell apart.
All at once, all the issues that had bothered the Railers in the
games they struggled in ganged up on them. Missed shots, bad passes,
unable to get back on defense to stop a hot shooting MacArthur team.
By the time MacArthur had finished with the stellar fourth quarter
surge, they had gone on a 17-1 run to make it a foregone conclusion
that the Railer season would be ending on Friday night. Scoring from
inside, and outside, as well as the free throw line, the Generals
turned a 38-35 lead to a 57-36 lead with Lincoln’s only point coming
from Payton Ebelherr.
When the lane opened one final time, Block drove for a layup to end
the scoring on the game, his career, and the Railer season. When the
horned sounded, the Generals celebrated while the Railers were
forced to assume the role of the handshaking and well wishing
opponents who would not take the court again this season.
Yes, there were tears from the players, the fans, the cheerleaders,
you name it. The suddenness to the season ending will take a while
to sink in. However, no matter what, it was a great season. It
didn’t have the ending last season did, but it is not fair to judge
this team based on last year’s success. When we look back, this
season will be another one of the memorable seasons that make up the
Railer tradition.
For the final game this year, Block led with 17 points, while Hopp
finished with 10. Perry added six with the two three pointers, with
Bowers chipping in four, and Ebelherr adding a free throw.
So, another season has come to an end. Certainly not the way we
wanted it to but on this night, MacArthur was the better team. But,
you may call me a homer, but in the end, no matter the outcome, I
will take this team. Throughout the season, they have displayed
heart, character, sportsmanship, and all the traits you would like
someone that represents the school and your community to exhibit.
Instead of feeling sad over the outcome of the season’s final game,
celebrate the young men that wore that uniform and who will take
what they have been taught with them as they become successes after
their days on Railer Way. They really have no other choice.
Simply put, it is the Railer Way.
LINCOLN (38)
Block 7 3-6 17, Hopp 4 2-2 10, Perry 2 0-0 6, Bowers 2 0-0 4,
Ebelherr 0 1-2 1. Cook 0 0-0 0. 15 6-10 38. 3pt Fg 2 (Perry 2).
MACARTHUR (57)
McClain 18, Johnson 15, Jones 12, Spates 8, Bond 2, Brummett 2. TEAM
20 9-13 57. 3pt FG 8 (McClain 5, Jones 3).
LCHS 11-5-13-9 38
MACARTHUR 12-8-16-21 57
[Jeff Benjamin]
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