[March 24, 2014]      

When the formal ceremonies were over, the fans crowed the gym floor and surrounded the team. The kids were handed programs from the Saturday game and asked to autograph them. There were plenty of pats on the back from fans and hugs from family.  If on the ride home these kids had any doubt at all about how much they are respected in Lincoln and Logan County, those doubts were certainly erased by the end of the night.

At the end of his story, Jeff Benjamin issued some thank-yous, and LDN would like to do the same. Thank you to all the Railers, the team, their cheerleaders, their coaches, the Railer Nation, the 800-plus students, their parents and the fans. You've given us a great year of basketball, and sharing it with our readers has been an honor and a pleasure.

Thanks to Jeff Benjamin for the long nights and the 1 a.m. story submissions on more than a few occasions. And thanks to Debbie Olden who made this year's coverage of Railer basketball not just good, but great. And by the way, more than a few times, she, too, was shooting emails filled with pictures at 12:30 and 1 o'clock in the morning.  Now that is dedication!

Pictures by Debbie Olden and Nila Smith