Lincoln defeats Granite City 52-43
Cook leads Lincoln with 20 points

Game marks 1,000 as a Railer Coach for Neil Alexander

[December 29, 2022]  The Railers opened play on Wednesday afternoon against Granite City in the 2022 Prairie Farms Holiday Classic in Collinsville. Lincoln handed the Warriors a 52-43 loss in a game which featured the much talked about shot clock that really seemed to have no bearing on the outcome of this game.

The Railers found themselves trailing 10-9 in the first quarter.



Ki’on Carson led the Railers comeback in the second quarter by scoring six points. Lincoln was able to take a 15-14 lead on a basket by Jake Bivin around the 4:10 mark. Trey Schilling sank a three to give Lincoln a 22-18 advantage. After a three from the baseline by Payton Cook with thirty seconds left in the quarter, the Railers were able to stay in front of the Warriors with a 25-20 lead at halftime.

The Railers held the Warriors offense to just seven points in the third quarter.

With Cook dumping in nine points and Camden Nelson adding a three, the Railers offense continued to be productive. Carson and Bivin also scored buckets to help the Railers out to a 41-27 lead when the third quarter came to a close.

Despite the Warriors sinking four 3s in the final quarter, Lincoln held off any threat and went on to win the game by a final score of 52-43.

Payton Cook led Lincoln with 20 points. Ki’on Carson hit double-figures for the third game in a row. This time Carson poured in a season high 14 points.

An interesting sidebar - the Wednesday game marked the 1,000th Railer game coached by Neil Alexander. A great start to the tournament, was also a great salute to "Coach Al."

Lincoln improved to 11-1 on the season and will play Belleville East at 11:30 a.m. today as the tournament continues.

Lincoln 52
Cook 20
Carson 14
Gowin 5
Schilling 5
Bivin 4
Nelson 3
Hayes 1

Granite City 43
Brown 21
Bond 12
Gaston 6
Dowell 2
Valentine 2

[Teena Lowery with photos by Cindy Bivin]