Pair of Railer seniors lead Lincoln
to 50-44 victory on senior nigh
[February 21, 2026]
LINCOLN -- In a fitting storyline since it was senior
recognition night, the two LCHS seniors on the Railer basketball
team led the team in scoring as Lincoln won its final regular-season
game 50-44 over Champaign Central.
“That’s a big win,” Railer head coach Neil Alexander said after the
contest. “We played hard; it was physical.”
It was fitting on senior recognition night that the two Railer
seniors--Karson Komnick and Brody Tungate--scored the first baskets
for LCHS. Those two field goals were the only Railer points in the
opening period, however, and Central claimed a 6-4 advantage heading
into the second quarter.
Karson Komnick
Lincoln took its first lead of the game on its opening possession of
the period, as Komnick completed a conventional three-point play
after being fouled while hitting a putback shot following an
offensive rebound. That made the score 7-6 in favor of the Railers.
Brody Tungate
Central fought back to take an 11-9 lead later in the period, but
Lincoln went on a 10-3 run to grab a five-point lead at 19-14.
During the stretch, Tungate scored four points, Bryce Vlahovich had
three, Brett Hayes notched two and Komnick added one.
But Central went on a 5-0 run of its own, and when Elijah Young hit
a jumper in the lane to cap the outburst for the Maroons, that made
the score 19-19.
Lincoln’s Tate Aue drained a pair of free throws before halftime to
give the Railers a 21-19 lead at intermission.
Young hit a jumper on Central’s first possession of the second half
to knot the score at 21-21, but a trey by Komnick regained the lead
for the Railers at 24-21.
Central got a trey to tie the score before Lincoln scored five
straight points, including a basket by Tungate and Aue’s lone
three-pointer of the night to put LCHS ahead 29-24.
Then it was Central’s turn to make a run, and the Maroons scored six
consecutive points to retake the lead 30-29. But a pair of free
throws by Tungate and a field goal by Komnick gave the Railers a
33-30 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Preston Short
The Railers scored the first seven points of the final quarter to
take a double-digit lead at 40-30. Tungate scored two points during
the run and Preston Short added five.
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But just when it appeared the Railers had the game in hand, Central
came roaring back. The Maroons outscored Lincoln 11-2 over the next
two minutes. The final points in the Central run came when Luke
Harding hit a three pointer that pulled Central to within a point at
42-41.
LCHS pushed the lead to five at 46-41, but Central got another trey
from Harding to draw within a basket at 46-44. But the Railers hit
their free throws down the stretch, as Komnick and Tungate each hit
a pair, and Lincoln won 50-44.
While the Railer seniors hit clutch free throws down the stretch,
overall Lincoln made 16 of 21 from the charity stripe. While that
gave Lincoln a respectable 76.2 percentage on foul shots for the
game, the Railers had four of their five misses occur in the final
quarter, when they were eight of 12 from the line.
“We missed some free throws that were crucial,” Alexander said.
“Luckily, we were able to overcome that. That could’ve given us a
little more breathing room, but we had a lot of fight.”
The win gives Lincoln an overall season record of 24-7. Champaign
Central falls to 10-15.
Tungate led Lincoln with 17 points. Fellow senior Komnick added 15.
Other Railers who scored in the game include Vlahovich (6 points),
Short and Aue (5 apiece) and Hayes (2).
Cayden Love led Champaign Central with 17 points.
Lincoln’s first game of the postseason is February 25 when the
Railers host Eisenhower in a 6 PM regional game at LCHS. The Railers
beat the Panthers 32-23 on January 6, but Alexander said that
particular game might not be a good barometer for gauging Lincoln’s
potential success against Eisenhower in the upcoming regional game.
“January sixth is a ‘catch game,’” Alexander said. “You’re coming
off your holiday tournament. I know just from coaching for 50 years,
that first game after Christmas is kind of a letdown and you
struggle to get through it. We’re hoping that was the case, but we
do know that we allowed Eisenhower to feel like they could step in
and play with us.”
As long as the Railers continue winning, their path through the
postseason to the state tournament is as follows:
• Wed 2/25 @ 6 PM - IHSA Regional vs. Eisenhower at Lincoln
Community HS
• Fri 2/27 @ 7 PM - IHSA Regional vs. Mt. Zion or Springfield at
Lincoln Community HS
• Wed 3/4 @ 7 PM - IHSA Sectional vs. Bloomington Regional Winner at
Mahomet-Seymour HS
• Fri 3/6 @ 7 PM - IHSA Sectional Final at Mahomet-Seymour HS
• Mon 3/9 @ 7 PM - IHSA Super-Sectional vs. Waterloo Sectional
Winner at BOS Center in Springfield (Southeast host)
• Fri 3/13 @ 11:45 AM - IHSA State Semifinals vs. Chicago
Supersectional Winner at State Farm Center in Champaign
• Fri 3/13 @ 7 PM - IHSA State 3rd place (if lose 3/13 @ 11:45 AM)
at State Farm Center in Champaign
• Sat 3/14 @ 4 PM - IHSA State Finals (if win 3/13 @ 11:45 AM) at
State Farm Center in Champaign
[Loyd Kirby]
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