High School Girls Basketball
2023 Manual Holiday Girls Basketball Tournament
Lady Railers defeat Dunlap 63-27

 

[December 28, 2023] 

The Lady Railers defeated the Dunlap Eagles 63-27 on Thursday night in the 2023 Manual Holiday Girls Basketball Tournament in Peoria.

The win pushes Lincoln to the tournament championship tonight at 6:30 p.m. against Peoria Central. It will be a matchup of the no. 2 state-ranked Lady Railers versus the no. 1 state-ranked Lions.

Both teams are undefeated with 16-0 records this season.

The big story from the Lady Railers camp was the obvious vacancy of Kloe Froebe from the game. Froebe is out at the moment with a foot injury. The foot is not broken but it will take presumably a little time to find out what is wrong and move forward with treatment.

Meanwhile the Lady Railers settled in after the first quarter versus Dunlap on Thursday night and with Piper Whiteman in the starting lineup and on a mission from the tip-off, she led Lincoln with 18 points.

Jenna Bowman got hot from 3-point range and tossed in 13 points and Becca Heitzig battled coast to coast and added 12 points.

First Quarter

Tori Geriets jumped center for Lincoln in place of Kloe Froebe to start the game versus Dunlap. It would be the Eagles scoring early to take a 2-0 lead that jumped to 5-0 near the five minute mark. Whiteman put the Lady Railers in the scoring column with two free throws at the 4:37 mark and it seemed like the lid was finally pried off the basket. From there it was Becca Heitzig finding a rhythm and after her signature stop n’ pop she quickly stole the ball from the Eagles and poured in another basket to put Lincoln on top 6-5. The Eagles took a 9-6 lead that eventually turned into an 11-8 lead, despite a putback by Whiteman. Mia Clark and Taryn Stoltzenburg added baskets in the quarter, but with a three from the Eagles going in near the end of the quarter, Lincoln found themselves down 15-12 for the first time this season.

Second Quarter

Makinley Knapp’s two quick buckets in the paint to start the second quarter gave Lincoln a 16-15 lead. The girls were looking much more confident already in the second quarter, focusing less on playing without Froebe and more on getting the ball to one another. Still the Eagles were playing a solid game and tied the score 17-17. At the four minute mark Lincoln really picked up the intensity and used a 15-2 run to take over the game. Whiteman started things with a casual two-point field goal before setting herself in the corner for a three. Heitzig and Bowman also found themselves getting points in the paint. Following a timeout by Dunlap, Lincoln was able to get a nice bank shot out of Whiteman, who was fed the ball by Clark. Whiteman was also quick to turn around and get another two points in the lane seconds later.

All of this put Lincoln up 30-19 and just when it looked like there would not be enough time for the Lady Railers to get one more shot, here comes Heitzig showing that it can be done. A quick steal by no. 4 and a heads up pass to Bowman under the basket and Lincoln had one more shot dropping through the net just as the buzzer blew. The ladies had worked hard to earn that 32-19 halftime lead.

Third Quarter

There was no time for Lincoln to cool off in the third quarter. The girls knew the importance of this game and they wanted a 6:30 p.m. Friday night date on the court with Peoria Central. Bowman was barely out of the halftime huddle when she sank a three from the wing. After Heitzig increased the lead to 37-19, it was Bowman’s turn again, this time a corner three sailed through the air and made the net dance with glee. Just like that Lincoln was quickly stretching that lead, 40-19 the score. A free throw by Whiteman and a corner three from Stoltzenburg made the score 44-19 and Dunlap was yet to make a basket in the second half. The Eagles broke the ice on the 3:30 mark and scored but it was Lincoln’s Bowman who had ice in her veins and she drained another three at the 3:05 mark and Lincoln was enjoying a 47-21 lead. Clark then scored off the fast break and with the score 49-23 the thought of a running clock was within reach. Heitzig finished the quarter with a layup at the buzzer and Lincoln’s lead was twenty-five points, 51-26 the score.

Fourth Quarter

Grace Schneider and Stoltzenburg each scored layups to inch the Lady Railers closer to a running clock in the fourth quarter. After Whiteman’s two free throws gave Lincoln a 57-26 lead, the running clock started and the final six minutes of play went by pretty smoothly. Heitzig, Whiteman and Knapp completed the scoring and set the final score at 63-27.

The spectacular defense of the Lady Railers held the Eagles offense down and the win gave Lincoln just what they wanted all along: a shot at the tournament championship.

Again Lincoln will play Peoria Central tonight at 6:30 p.m. for the championship. It is the first meeting of these two teams this season and it promises to be a good one!


Lincoln 63

Whiteman 18
Bowman 13
Heitzig 12
Stoltzenburg 8
Knapp 6
Clark 4
Schneider 2

Dunlap 27

Sollberger 8
Taylor 6
Vrabel 4
Bohanan 4
Krus 3
Yeh 2

[Teena Lowery]