Railer basketball team knocks off
Belleville West 46-43 to earn Thanksgiving Tourney title
[December 17, 2025]
LINCOLN -- For a while, it looked like the championship game
of the Eaton Electrical Thanksgiving Tournament between Belleville
West and Lincoln might never get played. And the way the game felt
for Lincoln as the final quarter approached, Railer fans couldn’t
have been faulted for perhaps wishing the contest hadn’t been
rescheduled.
But all’s well that ends well, and Lincoln overcame a seven-point
fourth quarter deficit to win 46-43 and capture its first Eaton
Electrical Thanksgiving Tournament crown since 2021.
Head Coach Neil Alexander
“We fought; we made plays when we had to,” said Railer coach Neil
Alexander following the game. “But if we play like we did the last
four or five minutes the whole game, then it doesn’t come to that.”
After the game was cancelled from its original date of November 29
due to inclement weather, the contest was rescheduled for December
13 only to be postponed again due to weather conditions. But
Belleville West and Lincoln had an open date Tuesday, so the Maroons
made the trip north to vie for the title.
Brody Tungate
It was evident early on that the game would be close throughout. The
teams were tied 7-7 near the end of the first period when Brody
Tungate hit a 3-pointer to give Lincoln a 10-7 lead heading into the
second period.
But the Maroons roared back, as Belleville West opened up a
six-point lead in the second quarter. Lincoln cut the lead to three
points as the end of the first half drew closer. Then Karson Komnick
drove just inside the three-point arc to hit a field goal with three
seconds remaining in the quarter to cut the Belleville West lead to
21-20 at halftime.
After intermission, Belleville West extended its lead to 26-20 on a
field goal in the lane from Amauri Fenton and a trey from TJ Cason
IV.
The Railer offense looked stifled by the defense of Belleville West.
The game was played with a shot clock, and on several possessions,
Lincoln seemed unsure how to attach the Maroons, settling on passing
around the perimeter and launching a long shot attempt as the shot
clock was about to expire.
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Karson Komnick
But the Railers hung around and stayed within four points of
Belleville West throughout the period. The Maroons led 35-31 as the
quarter drew to a close, but Komnick again provided some last-second
heroics as he hit a three pointer as the buzzer sounded to make the
score 35-34 heading into the final stanza.
Belleville West built its largest lead of the game by opening the
fourth quarter with an 8-2 outburst to go up 43-36. But the Railer
offense found its footing and clawed its way back, as the Railers
transitioned from passing around the perimeter to instead driving to
the hoop. Following a pair of free throws by Komnick, Tungate picked
up a loose ball and drove downcourt for a layup to pull Lincoln
closer at 43-40.
However, the Railer senior wasn’t done yet. Tungate hit the next two
field goals for the Railers--a spinning jumper in the lane and a
tough drive to the basket--to complete the comeback and put Lincoln
on top 44-43.
Belleville West didn’t do itself any favors offensively and
especially from the free throw line in the final quarter. The
Maroons’ last points came with 5:22 remaining in the game.
Belleville West missed all of its four attempts from the charity
stripe in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, the Railers hit four of
five free throws in the final period, including a pair made by
Komnick with four seconds remaining to seal the victory.
Following the game, LCHS head coach Neil Alexander said he was proud
of his team’s effort in clawing its way back to take the lead in the
final period and eventually post the victory.
“We never could get ahead,” Alexander said. “I think we had the
ball, [the score] was in the mid-30s, we were down by one, and we
came down and had a one-pass turnover and they got a layup. I
thought at that point, we were in trouble. They had 43 points at
that point, and I’m not sure they scored from that point on.”
The victory gave Lincoln its first Eaton Electrical Thanksgiving
Tournament title since 2021.
Lincoln shot 45.9 percent from the field (17 of 37) while the
Maroons made 19 of 41 field goal attempts (46.3 percent). The
Railers hit seven of nine free throw chances (77.8 percent) while
Belleville West missed all four of its attempts from the foul line.
Komnick led Lincoln with 18 points as fellow senior Tungate added
17. Belleville West was led by Micah May with a dozen points.
Tungate and Komnick earned all-tournament team honors for their
performances in the tournament.
“Both our seniors really did a great job leading us,” Alexander
said.
Lincoln is now 6-2 overall. The next scheduled games for the Railers
are:
• Friday 12/19 @ 7 PM vs. Springfield Southeast
• Saturday 12/20 @ 7 PM vs Springfield (Central State 8 Conference
game)
• Tuesday 12/23 @ 2:30 PM @ Pontiac.
[Loyd Kirby]
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