|
 After waiting over five minutes to score at the beginning of the
contest versus SHG the night before, Lincoln jumped out to an early
8-0 lead starting with a back door basket by Hopp. The Senators
attacked the Railers defensively with man-to-man defense most of the
evening and Lincoln looked to use their over aggressiveness against
them. The Railers forced the Senators into turnovers which resulted
in three pointers from Jordan Perry and Block. Most of the first
half, the Lincoln defense, especially the top players on the zone,
were either making steals or getting tip aways. It was encouraging
to see the hand speed by the defense early in the game, but it is
something that usually shows up later.
“I thought the defense did a nice job,” Coach Neil Alexander said.
“We usually don’t see the amount of steals and such as early. It
usually happens in the third quarter or later when opponents are
getting fatigued.”
Springfield’s 6’8” Obediah Church, a Division I recruit, broke their
drought with a 17 foot jumper, but that was answered by another
three from Block. Church scored the Senators’ final points of the
quarter on a lay-in over the front of the rim that took no effort.
Lincoln’s final points came from the free throw line as Block and
Cook combined to go 3 of 4 to give Lincoln a 14-6 lead.
Cook’s free throws started the 11-0 run that, for all intents,
became the margin deciding portion of the game. Cook continued his
shooting prowess by hitting the first of his five threes and then
scoring on a back door to push the Lincoln lead to 19-6. An Ebelherr
steal led to layup by Block and after Hopp scored on the alley oop
on a pass from Ebelherr, Lincoln had stormed out to a 23-6
advantage.
Springfield (3-6) would not let the Railers run and hide as Isaac
Nelson and Church converted offensive rebounds into points, Church’s
included getting fouled after making a basket after three tip tries.
With the Senators cutting the lead to 23-12, it was Cook again
hitting the big shot to quell the Springfield run and push Lincoln’s
lead back to 26-12. Great defense and pinpoint shooting helped the
Railers take a 27-14 lead into halftime. Of course, anytime you can
shoot 69 percent (9 of 13), you certainly hope you will have the
lead. Since the 2009 season, being ahead at halftime has usually
meant good things as Lincoln is 124-14 when leading at the half.
Those who are familiar with Lincoln basketball know many Railer wins
have been built on the back of runs, scoring 12 or more points in a
row to take the fight out of their opponents. In an unusual second
half, neither Lincoln or Springfield could put together back to back
scoring until the Senators scored the final two baskets of the game.
Saturday night’s third quarter was a bit rough as the teams combined
for only ten points. For Lincoln, it could have been trying on a
pair of shoes they had not worn in a while. “We ran a spread offense
that we had not run for a while,” Alexander said. “it will take a
while to get used to but it was a bit stale. But they’ll get better.
I thought in the second half we played good but not smart.”
Lincoln’s only baskets in the third came on a lay-in by Block after
a handoff down low by Ebelherr, who later scored on a drive to the
basket himself, and a baseline score from Hopp. Not the best
quarter, but enough to increase the lead to 15 at 33-18.
[to top of second column] |
At the start of the fourth quarter, it was obvious Coach Matt
Reed let his team know that they would have to pick up the intensity
on defense if they would have a chance. It didn’t take long for the
slow- down, low-scoring third quarter to turn into a racehorse game
in the fourth. Nelson’s three cut the lead to twelve, but, once
again, it was Cook answering back to prevent Springfield from
feeling they could back into it. In similar fashion to the first
quarter, Lincoln used the three as their primary weapon as twelve of
their 18 points came from behind the three point line. Freshman
Isaiah Bowers hit for three followed by another from Cook. When Cook
connected for his fourth three of the evening, Lincoln was enjoying
a 42-25 lead.
As much as the Senators tried, it was Lincoln’s night. It was not
their best performance of the season, but a win is a win, especially
in conference. Even though it was only one addition to the win
column, games like this could add up quickly down the road. “This
team is gaining confidence with every win,” Alexander said after the
game. “Each time they win, they get more confidence and the more
confident they are, the better chance we will play better so don’t
give up on this team.”
For the third game in a row, there were three Railers in double
figures. Cook’s 19 led the way followed by Block’s 13 and Hopp’s 10.
Lincoln also got three apiece on the night from Perry, Ebelherr, and
Bowers.
So now the Railers will take a break until after Christmas. On
Saturday after Christmas, Lincoln will make the annual trek to
Collinsville for the Schnucks Holiday Classic where they will play
on the first day at 1:00pm against a much improved Urbana team. The
tournament will take Sunday off and resume with a full two day
schedule the following Monday. Lincoln will match up on the second
day against either Quincy or Belleville East.
 Hard to believe we are already almost one-third through the season.
Lincoln is on pace for another 20 win season.
If anyone is surprised, you may just get coal in your stocking.
Merry Christmas to all of Railer Nation. Nobody does a Red and Green
Season like Railer Nation.
LINCOLN (51)
Cook 6 2-2 19, Block 4 3-4 13, Hopp 4 2-2 10, Perry 1 0-0 3,
Ebelherr 1 1-4 3, Bowers 1 0-0 3, Aeilts 0 0-0 0, Fry 0 0-0 0, Biggs
0 0-0 0. TEAM 17 8-12 51. 3-point FG 9 (Cook 5, Block 2, Perry,
Bowers)
SPRINGFIELD (41)
Nelson 14, Kincaid 7, Church 6, Watters 4, Sandberg 4, Fitch 4. TEAM
18 2-4 41. 3-point FG 3 (Nelson 2, Sandberg).
LINCOLN 14-13-6-18 51
SPRINGFIELD 6-8-4-23 41 [Jeff Benjamin]
 |
