Four Railers in double figures keep Railers unbeaten in conference

LINCOLN 57, SHG 40

[December 23, 2016]  On Wednesday night, the Lincoln Railers stormed to an early advantage over Springfield by using a 20-2 run and then coasted to a 22 point win. Last night, it was a reversal of fortune after SHG tied the game at 28 midway through the third quarter, the Railers used a 21-2 run to take control of the game to stay unbeaten in conference play, knocking off the Cyclones 57-40. The Railers improved to 8-1 on the season with a 4-0 CS8 mark.

It was not the 32 minutes Lincoln coach Neil Alexander hoped for in his post game comments from the night before, but it was a much more consistent effort, leading Lincoln to the win. “Well, tonight was much better, we were more focused, more intense, and it showed,” Alexander said. “Still a lot to work on but our defense played really well tonight.”

In the early part of the season, offense has been an issue for the Railers but they eclipsed the 50 point barrier for the second straight night, led by four players in double figures. Lincoln has not had four players in double figures since February 20, 2015 in a game against Eisenhower. Junior Isaiah Bowers bounced back from a two point effort with a team high 16 points. Junior Titus Cannon and senior Nolan Hullinger each set career highs with 13 and 12 points respectively and each drew praise from Coach Alexander.

“I thought Titus played his best game of the season, he made some big plays and did a great job on the point getting steals while Nolan hit some big shots, crucial shots. It is different hitting shots when you’re up 30 or down 30,” Alexander said, “but it’s the real good shooters than can hit those shots when the game is tied or you are down and the shot gives you the lead. The pressure is very different.”

Early on, it felt like the night before with Bryson Kirby, who also finished in double figures with 11, and Hullinger getting the Railers out to a quick 6-0 lead on the strength of two three pointers. The early shooting prompted SHG coach Kyle Krager to get a quick timeout. Krager has seen hot shooting from the Railers before during his playing days at Glenwood. Tim Brenneisen put the Cyclones on the board with a three pointer. Lincoln answered with a drive and layup from Bowers, who was held without a field goal 24 hours earlier.

There is a bright future for SHG basketball and that begins with freshman Jaden Snodgrass. The first year player gave the Cyclones the lead with a conventional three point play and then connected from behind the arc. A three from Ben Grunder gave the Railers the advantage 11-9 after the first quarter.

A lay-in in the lane from Austin Champan tied the game at 11 before Lincoln got a steal and layup from Kirby and another three from Hullinger, a result of great defense and assist from Kirby and Bowers. Snodgrass hit another three to keep the game close before Cannon took over. Cannon sank three of four free throws on consecutive trips down the floor. After the second set, Cannon stepped in front of the inbounds pass for a steal and easy layup to extend the Lincoln lead to 21-17.

During much of the first two and a half quarters, the Railers could not get too far away from SHG, going up by five only to have SHG claw back to within one or two. Lincoln would try to stretch it out, but the Cyclones would simply not go away. Brenneisen kept the game close in the first half by sinking three free throws after being fouled by Kirby.

Lincoln did hold for the last shot, but Kirby’s three from the right side fell short. With the shot taken early enough to allow for a rebound, Bowers was there for the board and was fouled on the putback attempt. Bowers sank both and the lead was back to three at 23-20. The shooting for either team was not stellar with SHG hitting 40 percent while Lincoln connected for 39 percent.

The second half felt like shades of the Jacksonville game when the Crimsons scored four quick points in the first 30 seconds. On Thursday night, Railer Nation had barely had time to settle into the seats after halftime when SHG took the lead 24-23 with two scores in the first 45 seconds. As quickly as the visitors took the lead, Hullinger came up with one of those crucial shots Alexander spoke about, making a three from the top of the key to give the lead back to Lincoln 26-24. The margin grew to four when Bowers scored on an out of bounds play. 

SHG’s Jack O’Connor scored four to tie the game at 28. I may be showing my age but do you remember those car chases in movies and TV shows from the 70’s and 80’s when the souped up car would engage the rigged up gas tanks and the vehicle would take off out of nowhere? Well, the next little bit for the Railers kind of felt like that.

Hullinger again hit a big shot to give the lead to the Railers and start the run. The next two possessions were not in character for Lincoln, but might be something we will see more of. An outlet pass found Kirby on the left side of the lane and the senior drove to the lane and was fouled. On the next trip, it was Bowers who plowed down the lane for the layup and free throw. The Railers were finally starting to put some distance between themselves and SHG as they headed to the fourth up 36-28.

Kirby started the final quarter with another three while Cannon continued to pickpocket the Cyclones by scoring off a steal on an inbounds pass. Bowers scored the next seven points for Lincoln including a lay-in that resulted in the junior getting shoved to the ground after the shot, warranting a dead ball technical foul against Chapman. After Kirby made one of the two free throws, Lincoln had put together a 21-2 run and jumped to a 49-30 lead. From there, Cannon hit four free throws and had a layup to help seal the win.

Along with the four in double figures combining for 52 points, Grunder added the other five for Lincoln. So, now the Railers get a chance to celebrate Christmas while looking ahead to the holiday tournament in Collinsville. Lincoln will play their first round game at 2:30pm Wednesday against Urbana. If the Railers win, they are most likely to face top seeded Edwardsville. For most teams, that may be the nightmare after Christmas, but for Lincoln, a welcome challenge. “We’d like to play Edwardsville,” Alexander said. “It gives us a chance just to see where we are at. You come in 8-1, you want to see just how good you are and Edwardsville would present that challenge.”
I hope everyone out there has a very Merry Christmas. We will check in next time from Collinsville.

LINCOLN (57)

Bowers 6 3-5 16, Cannon 3 7-8 13, Hullinger 4 0-0 12, Kirby 4 1-3 11, Grunder 2 0-0 5, Bacon 0 0-0 0, Sloan 0 0-0 0, Morris 0 0-0 0, Birnbaum 0 0-0 0, Combs 0 0-0 0. TEAM 19 11-16 57. 3pt FG 8 (Hullinger 4, Kirby 2, Bowers, Grunder)

SHG (40)

Snodgrass 9, Brenneisen 9, O’Connor 7, Boll 6, Reid 4, Ingram 3, Chapman 2. TEAM 13 8-12 40. 3pt FG 6 (Snodgrass 2, Brenneisen 2, O’Connor, Ingram).

LCHS 11-12-13-21 57
SHG 9-11-8-12 40

[Jeff Benjamin]