Mahomet-Seymour edges Railers 31-28 for Regional Championship

[February 28, 2022] The Lincoln boys were on the road Friday night at Mahomet-Seymour playing the Bulldogs for a regional championship and after a close battle all night long, the Bulldogs came out on top 31-28.

Mahomet-Seymour’s Blake Walters opened the scoring in the game with a three. After buckets by Elijah Pollice and Tyler Sasse, the Railers took over the lead, 4-3 the score. The Bulldogs 6-0 run to end the first quarter allowed them a 9-4 lead.

Payton Cook helped the Railers come back in the second quarter. Cook’s two baskets in the paint closed the gap to 11-8. Midway through the quarter, Camden Nelson was fouled on a three and he was sent to the line for three shots. He made all three, equally the score at 11-11. Freshman Drew Hayes would give Lincoln a 13-11 lead at the half after he pulled down a rebound off a miss by Pollice and went up strong for the basket, pouring it in just ahead of the buzzer.

The Railers started off the third quarter with more turnovers than points. With 5:50 on the clock, the Bulldogs tied the game 13-13. A jumper from Nelson put the Railers back in front but the Bulldogs were quick to answer with a two to tie. Now with 2:45 remaining in the third quarter the Railers got a steal by Aidan Gowin and he took off, racing towards the bucket for two points and Lincoln reclaimed the lead. Another quick steal by Gowin resulted in another basket. This time it was Nelson with the big play from the corner, draining a three to put Lincoln in a 20-15 lead. Nelson used another three seconds later to propel his team to a 23-18 lead. The Bulldogs chipped away at the lead and the score would be 23-19 in favor of the Railers as the third quarter ended. 

The Railers started the fourth quarter with an inbounds lob pass to Cook and he dumped the ball in for two points and Lincoln was looking good with a 25-19 lead. But the Bulldogs battled back in front of their hometown crowd and gaining momentum, they stormed through a 10-0 run over Lincoln. With 2:35 left in the game, the Bulldogs controlled a 29-25 lead. With the game nearing the final minute of play, Pollice stole the ball and ran away with it for a layup. He was fouled on the basket and was able to convert the three-point play in Lincoln’s favor, trimming the lead to 29-28. With 31.2 seconds left and the score still 29-28, Lincoln missed a few opportunities and was forced to foul in the end, sending the Bulldogs to the line. There was a key turnover by Lincoln in the end that allowed the Bulldogs to dance to the 31-28 win. 

Camden Nelson led Lincoln with 11 points. 

The Railers finished the season with a 25-8 record.

Blake Walters led Mahomet-Seymour with 12 points. 

The Bulldogs advance to the Class 3A Sectional at Danville. Mahomet-Seymour will play Decatur MacArthur at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 2, 2022. 

Scoring

Lincoln 28

Nelson 11

Cook 6

Pollice 5

Gowin 2 

Hayes 2

Sasse 2

Mahomet-Seymour 31

Walters 12

Koller 10

Eisenmann 5

Wagner 3

Bohm 1

[Teena Lowery]