Lady Railer Basketball is BACK!
Lincoln falls to Teutopolis 59-36 in the season opener

[February 05, 2021]  The Lady Railers opened the 2021 basketball season on Thursday night at home against Apollo Conference opponents, the Teutopolis Lady Wooden Shoes. Teutopolis joined the Apollo Conference back in August of 2020 for just a one-year commitment.

For fans not familiar with Teutopolis, the Lady Wooden Shoes basketball program is traditionally a powerhouse. The “Shoes” team that took the court on Thursday night against the Lady Railers was no different. Filled with experience, balanced scoring and awesome defense, the Lady Wooden Shoes defeated Lincoln 59-36 Thursday night at Roy S. Anderson Gymnasium.

The Lady Railers put together a starting lineup that featured Emily Paulus as the only senior starter. Juniors Reese McCuan, Ava Gorens and Ryen Stoltzenburg were joined by freshman Kloe Froebe in the starting lineup.

With no jump ball allowed, Teutopolis had possession of the ball to start the game and Lexie Niebrugge was quick to sink a three to get the action started.

It didn’t take long for a drive thru the lane by Kloe Froebe to get the Lady Railers on the board. A quick steal by Froebe and a dish off to Ava Gorens for the bucket allowed Lincoln to take an early 4-3 lead.

At the 6:18 mark Froebe would sink two free throws and Lincoln was up 6-3. A basket by the Lady Wooden Shoes’ Emily Konkel closed the gap but Froebe was hard at work in the lane and extended the lead to 8-5.

Two free throws by Emily Paulus at the 4:17 mark gave the Lady Railers a 10-5 lead.

A 7-0 run by the Lady Wooden Shoes in a matter of thirty seconds allowed them to take a 12-10 lead.

Around the two-minute mark Froebe tied the game 12-12. There would be another tie at 14-14 after a Froebe basket.

Teutopolis would take a 16-14 lead as the first quarter ended on a layup by Kaylee Niebrugge.

The Lady Wooden Shoes stretched the lead to 18-14 to open second quarter action. Ryen Stoltzenburg hit a three from the top of the arc and Lincoln was keeping in step with those “Shoes.”

At the 4:08 mark Froebe hit her first three of her Lady Railer basketball career. Everyone could hear the rim rattle on this one but it would eventually fall through the net and Lincoln was knotted up 20-20 with Teutopolis.

The Lady Wooden Shoes took a 24-20 lead around the three-minute mark after a three by Zoe Cremens.

With 15.4 seconds left in the second quarter, freshman Becca Heitzig scored her first Varsity points with a corner jumper that touched nothing but net and the score was 24-22.

With the Lady Wooden Shoes gaining possession just before the half was over, it would be Lexie Niebrugge from the top with a halftime buzzer beater for three. The few fans there and probably all the players just knew when it left her hands it was going in. The Lady Wooden Shoes trotted off to the locker room with a 27-22 lead.

A quick three and a couple free throws by Teutopolis to start third quarter action stretched the lead out to 32-22.

Lincoln would not score until the 6:30 mark when Froebe took a step back from her defender and got her jump shot to fall. Scoring was sparse for Lincoln in the third quarter. Reese McCuan made a basket for the Lady Railers around the four-minute mark but Teutopolis still held a 10-point lead.

The Lady Wooden Shoes put together a 6-0 run here in the middle and Lincoln was falling into a hole.

Lady Railers open the 2021 season at home

Froebe swished a three with 2:05 on the clock and that would be all of the Lady Railers offense for the third quarter. Teutopolis held a 48-30 advantage after three quarters of action.

With Lincoln just managing to score six points in the fourth quarter, the Lady Railers opportunity for a win diminished greatly. A three by Stoltzenburg to start the fourth quarter was promising. But a basket by Imagin Werner and a free throw by Froebe completed the entire fourth quarter offense and on this night much more was needed.

The Lady Wooden Shoes walked away with an easy 59-36 win.

Kloe Froebe led all scorers with 20 points.

Teutopolis placed three in double-figures. Kaylee Niebrugge led the way with 15 points. Lexie Niebrugge contributed 14 points. Emily Konkel tossed in 11 points.

In the JV contest Teutopolis defeated Lincoln 48-15. Becca Heitzig led Lincoln with 7 points in the JV game.

Lincoln will travel to Taylorville Saturday to play the Lady Tornadoes. The JV game will start at 11 a.m. The Varsity game will start at 12:30 p.m.


Varsity scoring

Lincoln 36

Froebe 20
Stoltzenburg 6
Gorens 2
Paulus 2
Heitzig 2
McCuan 2
Werner 2

Teutopolis 59

K. Niebrugge 15
L. Niebrugge 14
Konkel 11
Schumacher 7
Cremens 6
Hardiek 4
Kremer 2

JV scoring

Lincoln 15

Heitzig 7
Robbins 2
T. Stoltzenburg 2
Curry 2
Werner 2

Teutopolis 48

Konkel 13
Kremer 10
Cremens 8
Gibson 8
K. Niebrugge 5
Vahling 2
Niemerg 2

[Teena Lowery]