Railers shoot past Jacksonville 61-23

Nelson outscores the Crimson with 24 points

[December 12, 2022]  Lincoln traveled to The Bowl on Saturday night to take on the Jacksonville Crimson. Senior Camden Nelson led the way with 24 points, outscoring the entire Crimson team as the Railers walked away with a 61-23 win.

Nelson caught fire against the Crimson zone defense and put on a shooting clinic in the first half, after coming in off the bench in the first quarter.

With the three being the theme of the night for the Railers offense, it was junior Trey Schilling scoring the first three for Lincoln just twenty seconds into the game. On the next Railers possession it was Schilling with the perfect lob pass into Payton Cook for the spectacular dunk. Lincoln fans have been waiting for that and they can only hope that Cook will repeat that performance soon on the Neil Alexander Court. Lincoln would also get a three from Cook shortly thereafter, forcing the Crimson into a timeout with the score 8-0 Railers. Jacksonville would finally get on the scoreboard with a three of their own to cut the deficit to 8-3. Ki’on Carson answered back with a three and the Lincoln lead was 11-3. After a two-point field goal and a deep three by the Crimson, it was Sasse quick to retaliate with a corner three for Lincoln. The Railers quick ball movement made the open shot look easy and Lincoln was up 14-8. Nelson sank back-to-back threes under the 2:00 mark and Lincoln was cruising 21-8. Two final free throws in the quarter by Gowin set the score at 23-8.

The first five minutes of the second quarter was all about the three. Jacksonville opened with another deep three to enter double-digits, 23-11 the score. Then Nelson decided to launch one from the top and it was a 26-11 ballgame. Nelson’s hands didn’t even cool off before he touched the ball again and this time he increased the lead to 29-11. Sophomore Drew Hayes took his shot at a three ahead of the 4:00 mark and it sailed through the basket, making the score 32-13. As the 3:00 mark approached, another three from the Crimson split the lead in half, 32-16 the score. Nelson continued playing all over the place and after he snuck in the paint to pull down a rebound, the 6’1 guard put it back up for two points. With two minutes left in the second quarter, Nelson drained another three to give Lincoln a 38-16 lead. And Nelson wasn’t done yet. He hit nothing but net again from the corner to stretch the lead to 41-16. Nelson was burning that net up with six threes in the first half en route to already scoring 20 points. With the entire Railers team having a hot first half, the lead was 41-18 at halftime.

Cook, who had four points in the first half, was eager to join in on the fun in the third quarter. He had two quick buckets in the paint, the latter being a nice spin move in the middle of the lane that the 6’7 senior has perfected. Cook’s baskets set the score at 45-20 and set the Railer's sights on a 30-point lead. With Nelson sinking a couple free throws in the third quarter and getting a layup off the fast break, the Railers lead grew to 49-21. Another fast break by the Railers allowed Carson to bounce a pass into Gowin and he laid it in for the 51-21 lead. That’s the lead the Railer fans like to see when that third quarter ends.

Fast-forwarding through the fourth quarter, it was Connor Meagher on the reverse layup to get the scoring started. It didn’t take Meagher long to launch a three either and give Lincoln a 56-23 lead. Seconds later it was 6’3 junior Darren Stevens making a three of his own and wow, there were a lot of those “Chris Coyne State Farm three-point baskets” in this one. After two free throws by Cadge Kingsley, the final score was established and the Railers go home victorious with a 61-23 win.

To recap the Lincoln threes in the game, the Railers finished with 13 total on the night. Camden Nelson finished with six and it was Trey Schilling, Payton Cook, Drew Hayes, Ki’on Carson, Tyler Sasse, Connor Meagher and Darren Stevens each finishing with one.

Half of the Crimson’s offense was from beyond the arc as they sank four threes on the night.

Camden Nelson led all scorers with 24 points.

The Railers improve to 7-1 on the season.

In the JV contest, the Railers defeated Jacksonville 50-39. Gabe Smith and Frank Sanders led Lincoln with 9 points apiece.

The Railers JV team is 4-0 on the season.

Lincoln has almost a week of rest before returning to competition at Roy S. Anderson Gymnasium on Saturday, December 17, 2022. The Railers will take on Effingham in an Apollo Conference matchup. The JV game will tip-off at 1 p.m. and the Varsity is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.

Come out and support your Railers on a Saturday afternoon.

Varsity scoring

Lincoln 61
Nelson 24
Cook 9
Hayes 5
Meagher 5
Gowin 4
Schilling 3
Stevens 3
Carson 3
Sasse 3
Kingsley 2

Jacksonville 23
Berries 9
Lefiant 5
Jefferies 4
Martinez 3
Fry 2

JV scoring

Lincoln 50
Smith 9
Sanders 9
Miller 8
Hayes 7
Komnick 6
Graue 6
Stevens 3
Horn 2

Jacksonville 39
Decken 7
McCombs 6
Sims 5
Wilson 5
Henry 4
Williams 4
Winfert 3
Myers 3
Davis 2

[Teena Lowery]