Railer season stats and numbers

[March 15, 2010]  With another successful season from the Lincoln Railers now in the books, let's take a look at some of the numbers and statistical accomplishments from the 2009-2010 version of the Railers.

A look at some of the team marks:

• Lincoln's 28-win season was the 28th 20-win season in school history. With the regional championship over Decatur MacArthur, the Railers have now claimed 51 regional titles. The 28 wins also equals the eighth-most season wins in school history. This year's season class finished with a four-year record of 103-29.
  

• With the 1,593 wins in school history, the Railers are just seven away from 1,600.
  

• Finished 12-2 in CS8 and were co-champions with Southeast. In the 17 years of the conference, it is the eighth time Lincoln has been involved in the championship. It is the fourth time the title has been shared, and all four times, Lincoln has been part of the co-championship. In the 17 years, Lincoln is now 192-46 in conference play, a winning percentage of .807.
  

• Finished second in the Eaton Electrical Round Robin Tournament, falling only to Champaign Centennial. The Railers then captured the championships at Collinsville and Chatham Glenwood.

• The team finished 12-2 at Roy S. Anderson. Since the 1958-59 season, Lincoln has enjoyed home cooking, going 523-145 (.783) at Roy S. Anderson. The 12-2 mark is the same from last season.
  

• Set a team record for free-throw percentage. This year's squad connected on a percentage of .779 (366-470). That mark easily outdistances the previous high from three years ago (.749).
  

• The team finished just 27 made 3s behind the school and state record of 286 set in 2004-05.
  

• Starters scored 1,796 of the team's 1,907 points -- over 94 percent of the scoring.
  

A look at some of the individual highlights:

Coach Neil Alexander

• On Jan. 8, Lincoln defeated Springfield Lanphier, allowing Alexander to become the 35th coach in Illinois high school history to reach 600 career wins. Going into next season, Alexander will have an overall record of 616-321, with a record at Lincoln of 457-146. The regional title won this season was the 16th under Alexander, 14 of those at Lincoln.

Jordan Nelson

• Ranks third in 3s made in a season (108 -- trails only John Harmsen (113) and Jason Osborn (109)).

• Ranks second in 3s made in a career (235 -- trails only Gregg Alexander (281)).

• Became the eighth member of the 600-point club (623 -- tied for seventh-best all-time with Gregg Alexander, 1998-99).

• Ranks in a tie for sixth in career points (1,310) with Geoff Alexander.

• Will enter his senior season ranked 13th for career scoring average (13.65).

• Ranks ninth in career games played (96 -- two games behind Alex Anderson).

• Will go into next season as the career free throw percentage leader (211-249 .847).

• Has made a 3 in 18 straight games. His only game without a made 3 this season was Jan. 5 against Southeast. That game broke a streak of 38 games in a row. In his career, he has made a 3 in 69 of his last 72 games and 84 of his career 96 games.

• Scored in double figures in all but two games this season. For his career, he has hit double figures 67 times, with 22 games of 20 or more, including two of 30 or more.

Ben Brackney

• Ranks in a tie for 13th in 3s made in a season (71 -- tied with John Harmsen).

• Ranks sixth in 3s made in a career (165).

• Became the 21st member of the 500-point club (550 -- 13th all-time).

• Moved into the top 10 all-time for rebounds.

• On Feb. 6, scored 42 points, the third-most points in a game for a Railer. The only two better performances were by Chuck Verderber (44 and 43).

• Ranks 12th in career points (1,221).

• Ranks seventh in career games played (103).

• Scored in double figures in all but two games this season. For his career, he hit double figures 63 times, with 12 games of 20 or more, including one game of 30 and the third-best in Lincoln history with 42.

Nathaniel Smith

• Finished one assist shy of 100 for the season.

• Hit double figures 22 times this season, giving him 27 for his career.

Brant Coyne

• Hit double figures seven times this season.
  

Cameron Turner

• Hit double figures once this season.
  

Austin Kirby

• Hit double figures once this season.
  

Nelson and Brackney

• Finished with the third-most points of teammates in a season (1,173). Only tandems better were Brian Cook and Gregg Alexander (1,316 in 1998-99) and Norm Cook and Mike Swingle (1,190 in 1972-73).

[Special report by JEFF BENJAMIN]