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 Friday night was one of those
"can't win" games. By that, I mean
it was a contest the Railers should dominate. If they win by 30-plus, well, that's what should have happened. However, if Lincoln
has an off night and the hosts pull together for their best effort
of the season, the game could be closer -- dare I say, maybe even a
win -- and all those questions so far this season become larger and
louder.
Well, as Lincoln coach Neil Alexander described the game, "we didn't play
great, but we didn't play bad," and the game ended up like many
expected with the Railers easily winning the contest, as the starters
did not see the court in the fourth quarter. That is not to
say that the undermanned Tornadoes did not give a full effort, even
leading for much of the first quarter before Lincoln started on a
run that didn't end until the beginning of the fourth quarter.
 After Taylorville scored on their first possession of the night,
Lincoln's first mark on the scoreboard came from junior Nathaniel
Smith. For the second game in a row, Smith has seemingly come out
with more enthusiasm, which has showed up on both ends of the court.
The junior connected for 3 from the right side to give the
Railers their first lead. Again, give credit to first-year coach Jon
Tovar and the host squad. Senior Kraig Heil, the conference's second-leading
3-point shooter, hit his first from behind the arc, and a
basket from Austin Peters put Taylorville out to a surprising 7-3
lead.
Another 3 from Smith pulled Lincoln to within one and started
a 53-13 run for the Railers. The two from long range by Smith were
Lincoln's only baskets of the quarter, while Ben Brackney and Reuben
Bowlby each added a pair of free throws.
Lincoln shot just 2 of 14 from the field in the first quarter, but
found their shooting touch in the second, especially Brackney, a senior.
The Bucknell-bound Brackney hit four in a row from 3-point
range to help stretch the Lincoln lead. "I thought Ben shot the ball
exceptionally well tonight," commented Alexander. "He looked
comfortable and took shots in the offense." Brackney finished the
night as the game's leading scorer with 19 points.
Brant Coyne also hit from deep in the right corner to account for
three of his five first-half points.
Jordan Nelson struggled with his shot in the first half, with a
number of attempts rattling in and out. However, Nelson was
recovering from being under the weather during the week and it was
apparent he was not feeling well, as some of his shots were off more
than you would expect from a shooter of Nelson's caliber.
The junior had only two points at the break, but still added
tough defense against a Taylorville team that committed almost 20
turnovers in the first half alone.
The Tornadoes were held to just four points in the second quarter
and Lincoln took a 31-11 lead into the locker room.
The third quarter was more of the same as Taylorville could not
handle the Lincoln defense and the Railers took advantage.
The
shooting eye that was missing in the first half from Nelson
was back as he scored 11 of his 13 points in the third quarter,
including two 3s. Nelson has now made a 3 in 34 straight
games.
The largest lead of the night came at the end of the third quarter
as the Railers were up 56-20. As the fourth quarter started, Alexander pulled all of the starters, allowing them to rest and to
give the bench some time on the court. "There were some kids that
work hard in practice every day and they deserve to play," Alexander
explained. "And, the only way to get the experience they need is to
put them out on the court." Everyone on the roster played in the
game, although the fourth quarter will give the coaching staff
something to work with as Taylorville enjoyed their best quarter of
the game, outscoring Lincoln 14-2.
It was a game they were supposed to win. Could they have won by
more? Absolutely. Did they need to? Not at all. They came to
Taylorville and got the win. They now can get ready for the last few
days of finals, enjoy Christmas and get ready for the Collinsville
tournament.
As mentioned earlier, the Railers were led by Brackney's 19
points. Juniors Nelson and Smith each added 13,
while fellow junior Coyne added seven. Bowlby, Cameron
Turner and Matt Hays also added two points each to the effort.
Lincoln also did better from the free-throw line. After shooting
at just a 62 percent clip over the past five games, Lincoln missed
just one of their nine attempts on Friday night.
[to top of second column]
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The struggles continue for Taylorville. The Tornadoes have now
lost 26 in a row overall and 42 straight conference games. Other
Central State Eight scores had Springfield needing overtime to beat
Lanphier 56-52; Southeast handled SHG 66-57; and Lincoln's last two
opponents faced off, with Jacksonville getting by Glenwood 43-40.
Lincoln and Springfield, picked by the CS8 coaches to finish at
the top of the conference, lead the way at 3-0; Lanphier and
Jacksonville are 2-1; and Glenwood and Southeast stand at 1-2; while SHG
and Taylorville are still looking for their first conference win at
0-3.
Lincoln's sophomore squad stayed perfect with a 45-13 win to open
the evening.
Lincoln's next game will be the Monday after Christmas in the first
round of the Collinsville tournament as they take on the Generals
from Decatur MacArthur. Game time is scheduled for 2:30 and, as
always, you can read about the contest right here at
www.lincolndailynews.com.
Since this is the last column before Christmas, I certainly hope you
and yours have a very happy holiday season. Hopefully, you will get
to spend time with family and friends and celebrate the true meaning
of the Christmas season.
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LINCOLN (58)
Brackney 5 4-5 19, Nelson 5 1-1 13, Smith 5 1-1 13, Coyne 3 0-0 7,
Turner 1 0-0 2, Hays 1 0-0 2, Bowlby 0 2-2 2, Van Hook 0 0-0 0,
Kirby 0 0-0 0, Gesner 0 0-0 0, Olson 0 0-0 0, Cosby 0 0-0 0, Miller
0 0-0 0, Krusz 0 0-0 0, Green 0 0-0 0. Team 20 8-9 58.
3-point field
goals 10 (Brackney 5, Nelson 2, Smith 2, Coyne).
Taylorville (34)
Heil 10, Yard 6, Handegan 5, Bollinger 4, Jackson 4, Dees 3, Peters
2. Team 13 3-4 34.
3-point field goals 5 (Heil 2, Yard, Handegan,
Dees).
Lincoln 10-21-25-2
Taylorville 7-4-9-14
Other notes:
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Jordan Nelson's 3 not only extended his streak of games with a
3, but helped keep alive his double-figure scoring streak.
Nelson has now scored 10 or more in 11 straight games.
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Ben Brackney has scored in double figures in 12 straight games and
has moved into a tie for 11th all-time in 3-pointers made. He
moved past Adam Osborn and is now even with Derek Schrader at 109. Brackney also moved past the 800-point plateau in his career.
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The game featured Lincoln's defense allowing the fewest points of
the season and matching their largest margin of victory. The 24-point win equals the margin against Cahokia from the Thanksgiving
tournament.
[Special report by JEFF BENJAMIN]
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