Lady Railers relentless in win over Sacred Heart-Griffin 45-44

Late free throws by Lily Holmes push Lincoln to the win

 

[December 07, 2024]  The Lady Railers won their first Central State Eight Conference game of the season Friday night at Roy S. Anderson and they definitely earned it by not giving up against Sacred Heart Griffin.

Lincoln got down early in the first quarter by double-digits and had to fight back for a three-point deficit at halftime. The second half saw the ladies turn up the defense and it paid off. In the end, the Lady Railers edged the Cyclones 45-44 with Makinley Knapp and Mia Clark combining for 30 of the team’s points. 

First quarter

SHG used two 3s to start the game with a 6-0 lead. It would take Lincoln two minutes to score and even that would be just a single point on a free throw by Makinley Knapp. SHG’s shooting was hot in the first quarter and they would eventually capture a 13-1 lead. Grace Schneider, Lily Holmes and Knapp were able to fight their way into the paint to get buckets and end the quarter trailing 15-7.

Second quarter

The Lady Railers did a better job on offense in the second quarter, trading baskets with the Cyclones early on and eventually putting together a run of their own to draw closer before halftime. Knapp and Clark were taking turns lighting the scoreboard up offensively and after Mesa McCloud joined the party with a three, Lincoln was down just 23-18. The Cyclones pulled away to lead 30-20 around the two minute mark. Thanks to some key turnovers and some missed shots by the Cyclones, Lincoln was able to rattle off a 7-0 run. Holmes and Knapp earned points in the paint while Clark stepped out for a three, all of which made the score 30-27 at the half.

Third quarter

Clark scored a quick five points as the third quarter got underway and that would finally put the Lady Railers on top, 32-31 the score. The Lincoln lead was short-lived. SHG jumped in front with a 36-32 lead. After a three, the Cyclones were up 39-33 but Lincoln had no quit in them. Knapp’s bucket before the quarter ended made the score 39-35.

Fourth quarter

The Lincoln defense held the Cyclones scoreless for over four minutes to start the final quarter and that was huge. 

The beginning of the 7-0 Lincoln run was started by Clark’s spin move in the lane for two points. Following a steal by the Lady Railers, Holmes scored on a drive. 

After a missed shot by SHG, Holmes pulled down the rebound. After a couple passes, the ball ended up in the hands of Adams, who tried to score in the lane as the Lady Railers looked to increase the lead. Adams missed but Knapp grabbed the rebound and pulled this little surprise move out of her back pocket: a smooth reverse layup that rolled into the rim, giving Lincoln a 42-39 lead. There was also a free throw by Clark sandwiched in that 7-0 run.

SHG recaptured the lead after a putback by Layden Tamblin on the offensive rebound and a three by Ali Fleischli to make the score 44-43. 

Following missed opportunities by each team, Adams pulled down a rebound and the ball wound up in the hands of Holmes, who passed up a long shot from the corner and decided to drive the baseline. Holmes was fouled and she would sink her two free throws to toss the lead back in Lincoln’s lap, 45-44 the score. 

The last forty seconds of the game was enough to give any fan a heart attack. The Cyclones ran time off the clock in hopes of making a game-winning shot at the buzzer. Two timeouts and one foul later, the Cyclones did get a three up in the air but it was way off. Credit the tough Lincoln defense for making things difficult for the Cyclones. Clark collected the final rebound as time quickly expired. 

Lincoln was relentless in the 45-44 win, never giving up on offense or defense. Great win!

Lincoln improves to 2-3 on the season.

The Lady Railers are now 1-1 in the CS8 Conference.

Makinley Knapp led Lincoln with 16 points and Mia Clark added 14 points.

In the JV contest, SHG beat Lincoln 35-25.

Varsity scoring

Lincoln 45

Knapp 16

Clark 14

Holmes 9

McCloud 3

Schneider 2

Adams 1

SHG 44

Hassebrock 14

Murphy 7

Fleischli 6

McElroy 5

Long 5

Mantei 3

Gray 2

Tamblin 2
 

JV scoring

Lincoln 25

Hutchison 6

Chen 5

Eskra 5

Hinton 4

Schneider 2

Gilbert 2

Wrage 1

SHG 35

Mantei 17

Hunter 8

Schroeder-Carlisle 4

Kim 2

McElroy 2

Krohe 2

[Teena Lowery]