Recharged Railers run past
Taylorville, 73-32
[February 02, 2026]
TAYLORVILLE – A rested and recharged Railer basketball squad
used a 13-point first quarter scoring run to pull away from
Taylorville and never looked back in notching a 73-32 victory over
the Tornadoes.
Since the start of the 2026 portion of their schedule, Lincoln had
been playing three games a week on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday
until their previous game January 24 at Rock Island. Following a
week off from playing, the Railers looked like they had fresh legs
underneath them.
“We worked on a lot of things this week,” LCHS head coach Neil
Alexander said after the game. “We want them to play a little bit
quicker; the shot clock was definitely in our favor. We played
really well.”
In their previous game (January 24 at Rock Island), Lincoln
struggled to score in the first half, tallying only two points in
the first quarter and just five points in the first half. But
against Taylorville, once they got going, the Railers scored early
and often.
Brody Tungate
The Tornadoes opened the scoring with a turnaround jumper near the
free throw line by Brock Brown. LCHS got on the scoreboard just over
a minute later after Brody Tungate tipped the ball away from a
Taylorville player to Preston Short following a Tornado defensive
rebound. Short lobbed the ball to Tungate under the basket, and
Tungate banked the ball in to tie the game 2-2.
That opened the scoring floodgates for the Railers, as the basket
initiated a 13-0 run over the next two minutes by Lincoln. Tate Aue
hit two three-pointers in succession for Lincoln, Komnick converted
a steal into points with a layup, and Tungate hit a trey to give
Lincoln a double-digit lead midway through the first quarter.
Lincoln never trailed the remainder of the game, with Taylorville
unable to get any closer than within 14 points after the first
quarter.
Alexander was especially pleased with his team’s defensive efforts,
as he said that was a point of emphasis during practices while the
Railers had a week off between games.
“One thing we’re trying to do is make some things happen and get
some scores off of turnovers, which are easier baskets,” Alexander
said. “I thought the kids did a nice job of that today, and we made
things work.”
Lincoln posted 24 points in the first quarter, the second-highest
number of points the Railers have scored in a quarter this season
(behind their 28-point output in the second quarter on January 17
against Quincy). But after scoring a season-low five points in a
half against Rock Island one week ago, LCHS registered its largest
scoring output in one half in putting up 40 total points against
Taylorville in the first two quarters.
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Tungate led the way for Lincoln in the first half with 17 points.
Komnick added nine and Aue scored eight.
The second half featured more of the same, as the Railers outscored
Taylorville 19-12 in the third quarter and 14-3 in the final stanza
to give Lincoln a 73-32 victory.
Karson Komnick
Komnick led the Railers in scoring with 26 points. Fellow senior
Tungate chipped in with 19. Aue and Breon McKinnie had six points
each, Short and Bryce Vlahovich added five points apiece, Henry
Stoltzenburg scored three points and Maddox Whiteman and Grady
Rutledge each had two points for Lincoln.
The 73 points scored by LCHS for the game were the most points the
team has tallied in a contest this season, besting the Railers’
64-point offensive effort against Mahomet-Seymour on January 13.
The 41-point margin of victory was also Lincoln’s largest of the
season, eclipsing the LCHS 33-point win over Quincy earlier in the
month.
The win moves Lincoln’s overall record to 20-5. The victory is also
Win No. 998 for Neil Alexander in his career as a head basketball
coach.
Taylorville drops to 10-14 with the loss.
Upcoming scheduled games for the Railers include:
• Tue 2/3/2026 @ 7 PM vs. MacArthur
• Fri 2/6/2026 @ 7 PM vs. Sacred Heart-Griffin
• Sat 2/7/2026 @ 6:30 PM vs. Lanphier
• Tue 2/10/2026 @ 7 PM @ East Peoria
• Fri 2/13/2026 @ 7 PM @ Springfield Southeast
• Fri 2/20/2026 @ 7 PM vs. Champaign Central
[Loyd Kirby]
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