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 No one but he will know if that was because his Railers had put
together just enough defense to escape with a 77-71 win over
Lanphier or if the realization had set in that he had just joined a
very elite group when it comes to basketball coaches in the state of
Illinois.
Coach Alexander became the 35th coach to reach the 600-win plateau,
thanks to his squad's hard-fought six-point win over the Lions.
 The win moves the Railers to 12-2 on the season, 4-1 in the
conference. After dropping a contest on Tuesday with little
resembling the team that won the Collinsville title, Lincoln played
with much more effort on Friday night to get the victory.
Defensively, this team still has some things to work out, but there
was enough offense, including two big scoring nights, to keep the
Railers just behind Springfield in the conference race.
After trading baskets to start the contest, senior Ben Brackney
scored four in a row to give the Railers an early 6-2 lead. However,
as evidenced by Southeast's Mike Chandler Tuesday night, the lane is
the place to be right now against the Railer defense.
Lanphier sophomore Everett Clemons established his athleticism as
the Lions ran off seven in a row to take a 9-6 advantage. Clemons
finished with a game-high 20 for the Lions, most of which came on
plays at the basket. Although the game went back and forth for most
of the contest, this lead was the biggest of the night for Lanphier
(6-7, 3-2).
Junior Jordan Nelson, who continues to look for the shooting eye
that propelled him to the tournament MVP at Collinsville, decided to
take his game to the basket, with his first drive resulting in a
basket and free throw tying the game at nine.
 The game continued its good flow, especially for the offenses, as
the quarter ended. Lincoln took a 20-14 lead at the end of one,
thanks to the quick hands of Brant Coyne. The junior grabbed a
missed shot at the rim and let go just in time for it to count and
place the Railers up six.
Lanphier continued to find ways to go on streaks. The Lions started
the second quarter with a 9-2 run to take back the lead at 23-22. Once
again, it was Nelson driving to the basket, getting fouled
and hitting the free throw that put Lincoln back on top.
Lanphier's one advantage was their speed. It will be quite a feat
to find any team on Lincoln's schedule that is quicker than the
Lions. As soon as the Railers would score, Lanphier was in the frontcourt, attacking the basket.
The Railers did a nice job on the boards in the first half,
including a put-back by junior Nathaniel Smith. Smith finished with
six in the first half. Lincoln's final seven points of the half came
from Brackney and Nelson as the Railers led 34-31 at the
intermission.
Brackney and Nelson went to the locker room with a combined 23
points. This was just the appetizer for their offensive output.
A put-back and a foul allowed Lanphier to tie the game to start the
second half. Lincoln was able to grab the lead back on a 3 from Brackney, who finished with a career-high 30 points.
Austin Kirby, relegated to the bench for much of the first half
due to foul trouble, connected from beyond the top of the key for
his only points of the night to stretch the lead to five at 40-35.
Once again, another run from Lanphier, this one six in a row,
punctuated by a steal and layup by Drake-bound senior Karl Madison,
put the Lions up for the final time at 41-40.
And finally, at the 4:15 mark of the third quarter, Nelson
connected for his first 3-pointer in 13 quarters. Nelson, who
lit up the scoreboard for 27 on the night, did most of his damage on
drives to the basket and from the free-throw line. However, it was good to
see the leading 3-point shooter in the conference hit from long
range for the first time since the calendar flipped to 2010.
Nelson's 3 started an 8-0 run as the Railers extended to a seven-point lead, 48-41.
The momentum did swing at the end of the quarter as the Railers
ran the clock down to perfection, culminating in Brackney's 3 from the left corner with about three seconds left, pushing
the Railers to their biggest lead of the night, 53-45. That lead,
however, did not last, as Lanphier's Robert Hearn's heave from three-quarter court banged off the backboard and in to close the game back
to five.
The teams again went back and forth to start the fourth. With
Lincoln up 61-56, Lanphier's Karl Madison and Cameron Drake hit
3s sandwiched around a pair of Nelson free throws to
bring the game to 63-62.
Free throws were the key as Lincoln found many openings in the
quarter down the lane and straight to the basket. The Railers
finished 20 of 24 from the line for the night, including 14 of 16 in
the fourth quarter.
Points from Brackney and Nelson pushed the lead back
to seven at 69-62, and Lanphier simply ran out of time as Lincoln
pulled out the victory.
Friday night was a much better effort, but the ease at which
opponents have been scoring is troubling. Three of Lincoln's last
four opponents have scored at least 67 points. However, enough
offense was on hand this time.
The Railer bench should also be commended. Cameron Turner saw a
lot of action due to early foul trouble, Reuben Bowlby returned from
injury and gave a good effort in the first half, and sophomore Jake
Olson saw a few minutes while Nelson had a scratch to the
face cleaned up after blood sent him to the bench.
Along with Brackney's 30 and Nelson's 27, Smith was in
double figures for the eighth straight game with 10, while Coyne
added seven and Kirby added three.
[to top of second column] |
Trying to judge what pleased Lincoln coach Neil Alexander the
most after the Railers' 77-71 win over Lanphier on Friday night was
a difficult proposition. On the one hand, Alexander saw a team play
with more effort and intensity than they did in a disappointing
contest on Tuesday night, resulting in a double-digit loss at home
to Southeast.
Of course, on the other was No. 600. The buildup for history
started with the first day of practice. It would happen this season;
it was inevitable. But when? After taking the title at Collinsville,
the fates had aligned for it to happen at home. Unfortunately, no
one got the script to Southeast and history had to wait.
 Now, the wait is over. No. 600 is in the books and, just like
the first 599, Coach Al's focus was not on himself, but the team.
As it relates to those who have played for him, both at Lincoln and
other stops along the way, Alexander said, "I've been very fortunate
to have the kids I've had."
And what about the current team? Was No. 600 being discussed
among the team? "The kids were really good about it. They didn't
say anything," Alexander explained, "and they shouldn't have to.
This is about them." And with that, Alexander said the
preparation for Centralia would begin.
Congratulations to coach Neil Alexander. He now shares a feeling
that only 34 before him have felt. He has coached his sons and
grandson, but treated all his players like his kids.
He expects them to act and carry themselves just like they were
his kids, but when you see former players greet him at home and on
the road, you know this coach has put his stamp on their life.
For most, basketball stops being part of their life not long
after high school, but the lessons learned under coach Alexander
stay with them for a lifetime. And for that, there is no amount of
wins that is more impressive than the amount of lives he has
touched.
Due to the weather, only one other CS8 game was played. Southeast
was able to win on a tip-in at home with five seconds to go, besting
Glenwood 51-50. Lincoln's next contest is Saturday night at
Centralia. As always, you can read about it Monday here at
www.lincolndailynews.com.
___
LINCOLN (77)
Brackney 11 4-6 30, Nelson 6 14-16 27, Smith 4 2-3 10, Coyne 3 0-0
7, Kirby 1 0-0 3, Olson 0 0-0 0, Turner 0 0-0 0, Bowlby 0 0-0 0. Team
25 20-25 77. 3-point field goals 7 (Brackney 4, Nelson, Kirby,
Coyne).
Lanphier (71)
Clemons 20, Madison 14, Briggity 11, Hearn 10, Drake 6, Murdock 6,
Wright 4.
Lincoln 20-14-19-24
Lanphier 14-17-17-23
Other notes:
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Lincoln's free-throw shooting continues to improve. Over the last
seven games, the Railers are 98 of 117 from the line, an 84 percent
clip.
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Three of the coaches
who have hit 600 or more wins have called
Roy S. Anderson home (Neil Alexander, Loren Wallace and Duncan
Reid).
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Double-digit streaks continued on Friday night for Jordan Nelson
(17), Nathaniel Smith (8) and Ben Brackney (13 of 14).
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A big night from Jordan Nelson on Saturday night could help him
reach a milestone. Nelson is now 28 points away from 1,000 in his
career.
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The Railers remain undefeated (12-0) when ahead at the half.
-
Hayden Cosby has decided to leave the
basketball team.
[Special report by JEFF BENJAMIN]
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