High School Girls Basketball
Lady Railers shred Maple Leafs 84-33
Team improves to 32-0

 

[February 13, 2024] 

The Lady Railers began the long journey to their first postseason destination on Monday night. The team picked up an 84-33 regional win over the host school, the Geneseo Maple Leafs.

Kloe Froebe led Lincoln with a double-double, 32 points and 10 steals. She also pulled down 8 rebounds and contributed 7 assists. And her two blocks cannot be overlooked either. Froebe can call that a good night and maybe catch a nap on the two-hour bus ride back to Lincoln.

Piper Whiteman (14) and Becca Heitzig (13) also hit double-digits for the winners.

First Quarter

The Lady Railers ran out to a 15-0 lead over the Maple Leafs to start the game. Jenna Bowman hit the first three of the game forty seconds into the action. Kloe Froebe scored six points in that opening run, including a two at the 4:10 mark that moved her to no. 9 on the list of scoring leaders in the state of Illinois.

Appropriately, she earned those points off a steal.

ori Geriets also added a couple baskets early in the game and Piper Whiteman came off the bench to sink a basket quickly, too. The Lady Railers came to play, as usual. After a three by the Maple Leafs at the 3:10 mark, the Lady Railers were back to tearing up their opponents on offense. Becca Heitzig increased the lead to 17-3 with a bank shot in the lane. Next Froebe will move into the no. 8 spot on the all-time list of scoring leaders after she hits a three at the 2:28 mark. Credit Bowman on the assist and give Lincoln a 20-3 lead at this time. Froebe, Heitzig and Whiteman finished the scoring in the quarter to give Lincoln a solid 27-3 lead.

Taking a quick glance at the girls on the IHSA list that Froebe passed, first it was Taylor McClintock of Illini Bluffs (2010-2013) and then it was Jewell Loyd of Niles West (2009-2012).

Second Quarter

The second quarter was Froebe’s best quarter, as she poured in 13 points and the entire team continued to be unstoppable. The score went from 32-5 to 37-13 in a heartbeat. After Froebe and Heitzig combined to score the last ten points of the quarter in about forty-five seconds, Lincoln trotted off to the locker room with a 49-16 halftime lead.

Third Quarter

Taryn Stoltzenburg will start the third quarter off with a bang. There goes a three through the net by no. 1 and it’s 52-16. After Whiteman’s bucket the score was 54-19 with Lincoln just chomping at the bit for more. A 7-0 run would come next, courtesy of Froebe and Geriets, and with just less than three minutes left here, the score was flashing 61-19. Bowman’s three kept the Maple Leafs in a forty-point deficit. With Makinley Knapp scoring off the bench and Froebe and Heitzig still enjoying the offense, the lead escalated to 70-25 when the quarter ended.

Fourth Quarter

A running clock in regionals kind of has a nice ring to it.

The Lady Railers scored four 3s over the first four minutes and thirty-some odd seconds to forge ahead 82-30. Whiteman scored the last Lincoln basket with all the starters on the bench. The final score in this first game of the 2024 postseason for Lincoln would be 84-33.

For those keeping track at home, Kloe Froebe is sitting on 3,102 career points.

The Lady Railers will play Dunlap on Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. for the regional championship in Geneseo.

Make sure to get your oil changed or rotate your tires before the long trip towards Iowa for this regional championship game. Better yet, just get new tires for your vehicle. It is a solid two-hour trip from Lincoln to Geneseo. Don’t forget to pack snacks and drinks too.

Note: Dunlap surprised Peoria Central with the upset on Monday night. Dunlap won 47-45 on two free throws with .5 seconds left in the game.

Scoring

Lincoln 84

Froebe 32
Whiteman 14
Heitzig 13
Geriets 8
Clark 6
Bowman 6
Stoltzenburg 3
Knapp 2

Geneseo 33

Kreiner 14
Snodgrass 4
Mills 3
Kelly 3
Newkirk 3
Snider 2
Ellerbrock 2
Seaman 1
Greene 1

[Teena Lowery]