Small adjustments yield big results for Railers in 61-38 win over Danville

 

[November 27, 2023]  Lincoln – Some tweaks to their offensive approach led to a rejuvenated offense for Railers as Lincoln beat Danville 61-38 to claim fifth place in the Lincoln/Eaton Round Robin Tournament.

Following Friday’s 37-35 loss to Belleville Althoff, one word might have best summed up coach Neil Alexander’s feelings: frustrated.

There was the frustration of the way Lincoln lost on a last second shot by Althoff.

There was additional frustration from the fact the shot was a putback shot rebounded by a lone Althoff player surrounded by three Railers.

There was even more frustration that Lincoln appeared to have called timeout prior to the final buzzer sounding but none of the referees granted it.

But beyond the situational frustration that night, Alexander lamented after the game about how his players often caught the ball but weren’t ready to shoot or make a move offensively, giving teams that are quicker and tough defensively the opportunity to bring pressure and slow Lincoln down offensively.

As a result, the coaching staff made some subtle changes to a few things Lincoln had been doing in its first three games. Some of those changes were designed to help jump start the offense, which had averaged 30 points per contest in the last two Railer games.

“We kind of shuffled things around a little bit,” Alexander said. “We’ve been trying our 4-out [offensive scheme], trying to use our bigger guys for setting picks, but it just doesn’t seem to be getting the movement. And we’ve kind of neglected our bread-and-butter, and that’s our 5-out. It really helps to go to that.”

The result? The Railers put 61 points on the scoreboard against Danville, eclipsing their combined total of 60 points (25 against Mt. Zion, 35 against Althoff) in the last two games.

The Railers jumped out to a 12-5 lead in the first quarter against Danville, but the Vikings stormed back in the second quarter, outscoring the Railers 16-9 to tie the game 21-21 at halftime.

The teams traded baskets to open the third quarter, then Lincoln went on a 7-0 run to increase its lead to 30-23. Danville made a free throw before the Railers went on another 7-0 run to widen the lead to 37-24. The two 7-0 runs were symbolic of Lincoln’s offense for the evening, as four different players spread the offensive output among themselves, with Drew Hayes and Aidan Gowin scoring four points apiece during the spurt and Frank Sanders and Brady Miller adding three points each.

On the strength of those two 7-0 runs, Lincoln outscored Danville 20-7 in the period to take a 41-28 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Railers continued their strong offensive showing in the final stanza, doubling up Danville’s scoring 20-10 in the quarter, giving Lincoln a 61-38 final margin of victory.

Going to the different offensive scheme brought with it a modification of which players are used at different junctures of the game.

“We’re trying some different rotations,” Alexander said. “I think we’ve got eight or nine guys that we can rotate in and keep fresh.”

Especially noteworthy was the performance of Gabe Smith in coming in off the bench to be one of Lincoln’s leading scorers for the game with nine points on five-of-eight shooting from the field. He also led the team by grabbing seven rebounds and adding one assist.

“We’ve got to find minutes for Gabe,” Alexander said. “I thought all the kids that played did a very, very good job.”

Sanders also scored nine points for the Railers. Hayes and Ki’on Carson each added eight while Gowin, Trey Schilling and Karson Komnick contributed six points apiece. Brady Miller scored five points and Blake Horn chipped in with four points.

On the defensive side of the ball, while Lincoln is known for its 1-2-2 zone, the scheme can be played with some variations. Alexander decided an alteration was necessary on that front as well.

“We’d been basically falling back into a flathead [where the point playing at the top of the 1-2-2 sags back closer to the free throw line], and we try to get out and get pressure on people. You saw some things—the changes that we’ve talked about and the adjustments we have to make—and I think they’re going to be very, very good for us.”

Due in part to Lincoln’s revived defense, Danville only hit 35.9 percent (14 of 39) of its shots from the field against Lincoln, including only 9.5 percent (two of 21) on three pointers. Danville also turned the ball over 13 times against the Railers.

The victory secured fifth place in the Eaton Round Robin Tournament for the Railers Other results from Saturday include:
• 7th place game – Mahomet-Seymour 72, Cahokia 55

• 3rd place game – Belleville West 80, Belleville Althoff 63

• Championship – Mt. Zion 59, Champaign Centennial 32

The Railers do not play again until December 2 when they take on Sacred Heart-Griffin in their first conference game since Lincoln returned to the Central State 8. The game takes place at the BOS Center, formerly known as the Prairie Capital Convention Center.

“We’re excited about getting back to the competition and getting back to the rivalries that we had in the Central State 8,” Alexander said. “We play at 7:30 against Sacred Heart-Griffin, who’s basically been dominating the league the last two or three years.

“I’m excited about the rivalries and everything; there’s a lot of them in the Central State 8.”

[Loyd Kirby]

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