Lady Railers get the win over
Sacred Heart-Griffin on Senior Night
[February 11, 2026]
A win on Senior Night is always sweet and it’s extra sweet
when it’s a big win against a Central State Eight opponent.
On Tuesday night the Lady Railers destroyed the Sacred Heart-Griffin
Cyclones 59-21. Lincoln was up 28-7 at the half and by the time the
fourth quarter started, it was a running clock with Lincoln up
50-19.
All four seniors in the lineup scored, along with six other players,
and it was a total team effort to earn the win.
Mia Clark led the way with 13 points.
Freshman Grace Bivin is playing outstanding these days and she had
12 points.
Lily Holmes finished the double-digit scoring with 10 points.
First quarter
Grace Bivin opened the scoring with a short jumper for Lincoln at
the 6:48 mark and twelve seconds later the Cyclones tied the game.
From that point on Lincoln would run away from the 2-2 tie. Lily
Holmes scored her first bucket on the nice assist from Grace
Schneider then it was Schneider herself scoring Lincoln’s last four
points of the quarter to put the Lady Railers up 8-2.
Second quarter
Grey Gilbert’s jump shot started the scoring in the second quarter
for Lincoln. Mia Clark added a layup from the left side and Lincoln
was on top 12-2. The Lady Railers were on a roll and would not allow
the Cyclones a bucket until they had buried them 23-2. Paisley
Holmes joined the scoring column during the 21-0 run. Bivin and Lily
Holmes also continued to score for Lincoln as did Clark. Clark’s
three at the 2:55 mark completed the huge run. The Cyclones finally
scored twenty seconds later, but Clark was quick to retaliate with
another three from the same spot. With Sage Gilbert adding a bucket
before the half, the lead was 28-7.
Third quarter
Mesa McCloud got Lincoln going with a three in the third quarter.
The Cyclones finally reached double-digits just less than a minute
into the quarter. After Schneider had another nice assist into Bivin
for the basket, McCloud hit another three and Lincoln was enjoying a
36-13 lead. Clark went on to hit a corner three of her own and the
crowd was really enjoying seeing that ball sail through the hoop.
Next it was four points from Bivin and a bucket and assist by
Paisley Holmes. This duo of Grace Bivin and Paisley Holmes is really
working out well for Lincoln. They both drive the lane, pass the
ball and see the court very well and they are freshmen who have
definitely impacted the Varsity lineup. After these two finished
terrorizing the Cyclones defense, the lead was 48-16. Lily Holmes
added two free throws to give Lincoln a 50-19 lead to close out the
third quarter.
Fourth quarter
Let’s run the clock! Lincoln outscored the Cyclones 9-2 in the fast
and furious fourth quarter. Bivin and Clark each added a bucket in
the paint. Lily Holmes was at the line again to make two free
throws. Sage Gilbert went coast to coast for a layup and Elizabeth
Chen settled for one free throw near the end of the game.
The Lady Railers are showing signs that they are ready for the
postseason and this 59-21 win on the home court was definitely fun
to watch with so many family and friends in the crowd for Senior
Night.
Cory Farmer and Brad Schneider are surrounded by the
four seniors. Photo by Teena Lowery
Lincoln’s four seniors, Mesa McCloud, Grace Schneider, Mia Clark and
Lily Holmes, have played together since they were little and their
current coaches, Cory Farmer and Brad Schneider, have been there
since the beginning.
“It’s been great to watch these kids grow,” said Farmer. “Brad and I
have been coaching them since they were second graders and we
coached them all the way up until eighth grade. Then I got the joy
of following them out here so they’ve all heard my voice the entire
time. They mean a lot to me. That was my first group of girls that I
started coaching. I came from the men’s side at college and then I
started coaching girls. They were my first group so they’ll always
hold a special spot in my heart.”
As far as the relationship between Farmer and his daughter, Mesa, he
said jokingly, “We live and breathe basketball. That’s all we talk
about. No, I mean it’s really helped our relationship. She probably
spends more time with me than she does anybody and it really has
brought us closer together because she’s always picking my brain and
I’m not shy to give my opinion on things. It helps our relationship
for sure.”
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Players and Managers were honored on Senior Night for Lady Railer
basketball. L to R Preston Hunt, Garrett Lacefield, Lily Holmes, Mia
Clark, Grace Schneider, Mesa McCloud, Abbi Harris and Elijah
Crawford. Photo by Teena Lowery
Regionals start next week at Roy S. Anderson for the girls and
Farmer likes where his team is at right now.
“I feel like we’re starting to put it together,” said Farmer. “We
are playing our best ball right now. At the beginning of the year
the freshmen were trying to commingle with the seniors and the
freshmen had never played Varsity before so they had to adjust to
the speed of the game. I felt like tonight we did a great job on
defense and rebounding. Those are our two keys. Sometimes you have
bad shooting nights but as long as we can play defense and rebound
we can be in every game.”
Brad Schneider is an assistant on Coach Farmer’s staff and his
daughter, Grace, is one of the seniors on the Lady Railers.
“These girls have been playing together since they were in second
grade,” Schneider reiterated. “All they know is each other. They
give such good effort and usually good attitudes. They are a
wonderful group to coach. I am very very proud of them. I am glad I
could be a part of it for so many years.”
Grace is the oldest of the Schneider girls and her dad definitely
realizes how special it is to be able to coach her.
“It’s a great feeling,” said Schneider. “That’s something I will
cherish forever. Not a lot of people get that opportunity. I have
really enjoyed it. It means a lot to me. We have times where we can
talk about basketball and we have times where we don’t want to talk
about basketball. But it’s been a great experience.”
These guys have done a great job with the entire team this season.
The Varsity team improved their record to 21-8 after Tuesday night’s
win.
Lincoln won the JV game 48-28 over Sacred Heart-Griffin.
Sage Gilbert led the JV team with 16 points.
The Lincoln JV team is now 20-1 on the season and Kameron Whiteman
coaches that team.
Incidentally, Farmer took the head coaching job when Taylor Rohrer
stepped down and Rohrer was in the crowd on Tuesday night with her
new baby girl, Blair.
Lincoln will finish the regular season at Pekin on Thursday night.
The JV game will start at 5:30 p.m. and the Varsity game is
scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
Players and managers honored on Senior Night were Lily Holmes, Mia
Clark, Mesa McCloud, Grace Schneider, Abbi Harris, Elijah Crawford,
Garrett Lacefield and Preston Hunt.
Congratulations to all and thank you for your years of dedication to
Lady Railers basketball.
Varsity scoring
Lincoln 59
Clark 13
Bivin 12
L. Holmes 10
McCloud 6
P. Holmes 5
Schneider 4
G. Gilbert 4
S. Gilbert 4
Chen 1
Sacred Heart-Griffin 21
Mantei 10
Butler 7
Steele 2
Fleischli 2
JV Scoring
Lincoln 48
S. Gilbert 16
Hutchison 9
Chen 8
Short 8
G. Gilbert 4
E. Schneider 3
Sacred Heart-Griffin 28
Job 8
Ware 5
Stotlar 4
Krohe 3
Bennett 3
Steele 3
Schroeder-Carlisle 2
[Teena Lowery]
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