Lincoln Railers beat Mahomet-Seymour 36-32

[February 28, 2021]  The Lincoln Railers took on the Mahomet-Seymour Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon and avenged the 60-55 home loss from February 19, 2021. This time the Railers beat the Bulldogs 36-32 on their court.

After the Bulldogs took a 2-0 lead to start the game, Brody Whiteman tied the score on his drive to the basket. It’s a 2-2 game at the 5:30 mark, with both teams missing the basket early on.

Dylan Singleton’s two free throws gave Lincoln a 4-2 advantage. Singleton would keep the Railers on top 6-4 with his jumper that hit nothing but net with 2:35 remaining. Blake Wolters put the Bulldogs in front following a three.

Then it was Landon Hullinger reclaiming the lead for Lincoln with his basket. Finally Wolters closed out the first quarter scoring with another three and the Bulldogs were on top 10-8 as the first eight minutes flew by in this one.

In the second quarter the Bulldogs went on top 12-8  early but then the Railer defense took over. Forced turnovers and steals allowed the Lincoln offense to go on a roll. The Railers put up 13 unanswered points in the second quarter and pulled ahead of the Bulldogs 21-12.

The quarter was highlighted by Whiteman first going up and over his 6’8 defender for the basket and then Whiteman scored on a layup just ahead of the halftime buzzer. Big plays by the junior that helped Lincoln trot off to the locker room with a little extra pep in their step and the 21-12 lead.

The Railers extended their lead to 24-12 in the third quarter on a three by Elijah Pollice. But the Bulldogs came fighting back and it was Lincoln who struggled offensively. By the end of the third quarter the Railers were clinging to a 26-21 lead, having just scored five points in the quarter.

The Bulldogs would manage to close the gap even more in the fourth quarter. Lincoln had a shoestring lead, 26-25, with around five minutes left in the game. A layup from Whiteman at the 4:45 mark stretched the lead to 28-25. Then a quick steal by Singleton and his basket padded the lead at 30-25. Singleton added another layup at the 2:47 mark and the lead was 32-25.

The game was far from over but there was a bit more breathing room for Lincoln. That didn’t last long. After a three from the Bulldogs, the score was 33-30 with less than a minute to play.

In these situations where free throws become key down the stretch, opponents continue to foul Lincoln’s most clutch free throw shooter in Singleton. He connected for two free throws with 47.1 seconds left in the game and the 35-30 Lincoln lead.

Singleton got another opportunity at the line with 15.8 seconds left and his one free throw put the Railers in the driver’s seat, 36-32 now the score. The Bulldogs missed two good looks at the basket to end the game and this time it was Lincoln boarding the bus with a win.

The final score was 36-32.

Dylan Singleton led all scorers with 16 points.

The Railers improve to 9-2 overall on the season.

In the JV game Lincoln won 38-31. Jake Bivin led the Railers with 15 points.

Lincoln will host Jacksonville at home Monday night. The JV game will start at 6 p.m. The Varsity game will start at 7:30 p.m.

Varsity scoring

Lincoln 36
Singleton 16
Whiteman 8
Hullinger 7
Pollice 5
Mahomet-Seymour 32

Travis 8
Wolters 8
Finch 6
Koller 6
Warren 4

JV scoring

Lincoln 38

Bivin 15
Cook 9
Sasse 4
Gowin 4
Stevens 3
Kingsley 3

Mahomet-Seymour 31

Rogers 7
Eisenman 7
Selk 7
Waldinger 4
Bohm 4
Goldon 2

[Teena Lowery]