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 Noe.
Unfortunately, that is not a misspelling. Mahomet-Seymour’s Cory Noe
scored 16 of his game-high 22 points in the second half to lead the
Bulldogs past the Railers in come from behind fashion, handing
Lincoln a 42-39 loss. It was a game that feels like one that got
away. It is also the second year in a row the Bulldogs have defeated
the Railers on the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving. Maybe
another night would be a good idea.
The Railers did have a couple of shots to tie game in the final
seconds but a three from the corner by KJ Fry hit the back of the
rim and, after a Bulldog miss at the free throw line and Lincoln
timeout with 1.9 seconds remaining, Aron Hopp’s heave from half
court fell short. Plainly put, it was too much Noe for the Railer
defense.
“We lost track of their shooter,” Coach Neil Alexander said, “and
that comes down to communication. If you can’t communicate, you
can’t find him. These guys are so soft-spoken, communication is an
area that will need to be worked on.”
For the first 12 minutes of the game, communication, and just about
everything else was zipping along just fine. After a three to give
the Bulldogs the lead, Lincoln kicked into high gear with Isaiah
Bowers starting the scoring with a three from the wing. At 6’5”,
sophomore Drew Bacon may not seem like the prototypical long range
shooter, but Bacon hit from the corner and then from the top of the
key to stretch the lead to 10-3. The second three was the result of
good defense and unselfish passing. After quick hands forced a
turnover, Garrett Aeilts passed up a shot to find an open Fry, who
made the one extra pass to Bacon for an even better three.
The Lincoln defense was playing top notch during the first quarter
causing the Bulldogs to look and feel completely out of rhythm.
Mahomet-Seymour didn’t score again until 1:35 left. Just like Monday
night, the Railers ran their offense down to the last few seconds
with Hopp scoring just before the final seconds ticked off the
clock. Taking a 13-5 lead into the second quarter, the Railers
continued their dominance by scoring inside, an area of the game
where they struggled in the first game. Bacon continued his strong
first half with a drive down the lane with the left hand that
resulted in a layup and foul. His conventional three point play
pushed the lead to ten. Hopp added another old-fashioned three point
play by scoring on an inbounds pass and getting fouled.
Bowers found himself open at the top of the key to hit again from
long range and Lincoln was in control at 22-8. Noe, a 6 foot
sophomore, came off the bench and became the number one option for
the Bulldogs, leading the visitors on an 8-2 run to close the first
half. Lincoln’s only points at the end of the half came on a drive
from Hopp started from the top of the key. For those in the gym, it
was easy to see a switch in the pressure from Mahomet-Seymour
definitely bothered the Railers, yet Lincoln had a 24-16 lead at the
break.
The Railers (1-1) started fast again in the second half with Hopp
scoring on a back door pass from Fry, while Aeilts hit his lone
three of the night on a possession created by a turnover thanks to
Bacon taking a charge on the defensive end. Up 29-16, it seemed
Lincoln was again back in command. That’s when there was a
noticeable swing of momentum, or should I say, Noe-mentum.
A 12-3 run sparked by Noe, including two three-pointers and a pair
of free throws brought the Bulldogs within 32-28. Noe hit shots
while covered, but too many times the Railers could not find him.
And if you can’t him, you can’t cover him. His release is a little
unorthodox, but the result was exactly what Coach Chad Benedict
wanted.
Benedict’s Bulldogs finished strong and won the game with their play
in the fourth quarter. In fact, looking at the score by quarter
line, you can see the pattern. Lincoln started with a 13 point first
quarter, but scoring increasingly diminishing points in the
following periods (11 then 10 then 5). While Lincoln was able to
manage only five points in the fourth, the same Mahomet scored in
the first, the Bulldogs kept getting better, scoring 11 then 12 then
14.
[to top of second column] |
Lincoln’s last best looks at the basket cam when Bowers grabbed an
offensive rebound on a follow-up and Hopp drove the lane for a
layup. Again, Lincoln moved out by eight at 38-30, but could not
shake the Bulldogs. A three pointer from Noe was followed by a
missed front end of one and bonus from Bacon and Noe struck again
from long range and suddenly the Railer lead was down to two. The
free throws would prove to be a difference. “That was where the game
turned,” Alexander said. “Up eight, hit a couple of free throws and
it’s back to ten. But those were key misses.” After Noe brought the
game to two, it was another free throw miss. At 3:48, a make from
Thomas Kenney tied the game at 38.
After Lincoln failed to take the lead back on the next possession,
it was Noe again. But this time he missed his shot but so much
attention was being paid to him on the outside, the lane opened up
and Alex Jackson grabbed the rebound and his offensive rebound and
putback gave the lead to Mahomet at 40-38. The Railers forced a
turnover on the Bulldogs’ next trip down the court leaving Aeilts
fouled and at the free throw line. With 33 seconds on the clock, the
senior hit the first but missed the second leaving Lincoln down one.
As the Railers scrambled defensively to find Noe, the defense
allowed Malcolm Taylor to sneak in the lane and get a pass from Noe
for the easy layup and the 42-39 lead. Fry’s look from the corner in
the final seconds was a good look, but just didn’t go down. After
Jackson missed the last free throw, Lincoln’s final chance with 1.9
seconds came when Hopp took the inbounds pass and was short on the
final half court shot.
This game is like that big fish; it feels like the one that got
away. “Don’t give up on these kids. They’re real coachable and they
are good kids,” Alexander said. “I can tell you this. This group
will be a lot better in six weeks.”
Hopp led the way with 16 points with Bowers adding 10. Bacon had
nine points, all in the first half with Aeilts scoring four.
Lincoln will be in action again on Friday night against Morton at 8.
If history tells us anything, it will be a low scoring game with the
last few games being decided by the first one to 30 points.
Hope everyone gets a chance to spend the holidays with friends and
families and has a Happy Thanksgiving! Make sure you save some room
for basketball over the weekend.
LINCOLN (39)
Hopp 7 2-2 16,
Bowers 3 2-4 10,
Bacon 3 1-3 9,
Aeilts 1 1-2 4,
Fry 0 0-0 0,
Hullinger 0 0-0 0,
Kirby 0 0-0 0.
TEAM 14 6-11 39.
3pt FG 5 (Bacon 2, Bowers 2, Aeilts).
MAHOMET-SEYMOUR (42)
Noe 5 8-11 22,
Taylor 3 0-0 7,
Kenney 2 2-2 6,
Jackson 2 1-4 5,
McHale 1 0-0 2.
TEAM 13 11-17 42.
3pt FG 5 (Noe 4, Taylor).
LCHS 13-11-10-5 -- 39
M-SEYMOUR 5-11-12-14 -- 42
[Jeff Benjamin]
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