Lincoln Railers Varsity hold off Taylorville’s late surge - defeat
Tornadoes 67-63
Send a link to a friend
[December 01, 2018]
Lincoln Railers Varsity held off
Taylorville’s late surge to defeat Tornadoes 67-63 earning first
Apollo Conference win of the season.
It was a battle of the undefeated teams Friday night in Taylorville
as the 3-0 Lincoln Railers marched onto Dolph Stanley Court to take
on the 4-0 Tornadoes.
It was also the first Apollo Conference matchup of the season for
both teams and the crowd on hand was fired up and LOUD - all night
long. The gym was even filled with press everywhere in anticipation
of the matchup.
Lincoln took the court as the visitors dressed in yet another snazzy
uniform scheme. This particular design featured the main color
“Railer Green” on the jersey with white lettering stating “LINCOLN”
across the chest. A white stripe was spread across each shoulder for
an added accent. The shorts were green with a fade into red at the
bottom that would spotlight the Railer Man just above the word
“LINCOLN” again. Good looking uniforms for another overall
outstanding performance by the Railers.
Coach Neil Alexander kept with his same starting five for the fourth
consecutive game - Kameron Whiteman, Dylan Singleton, Kaden Froebe,
Will Ewald and Jermaine Hamlin.
Hamlin won the 7:40 p.m. tip and Lincoln immediately scored on a
quick pass from the point guard, Singleton, to Whiteman, who shook
off his defender and laid it off the glass for the first two points.
Taylorville’s first possession of the game didn’t go as planned when
Hamlin slapped the attempted shot towards the stands and even the
Tornadoes’ fans gasped at that move.
Lincoln’s next move downcourt was pretty sweet, too. Whiteman was
hanging out in the corner and spotted Hamlin near the basket, so he
lobbed into the big guy and of course a dunk was in the making.
Lincoln’s quick 4-0 lead was enough to force Tornadoes coach Ryan
Brown to call a timeout.
Lincoln continued rolling as Ewald was nothing but net from behind
the arc for an 8-0 lead at the 4:38 mark.
Taylorville’s first bucket would come at the 4:32 mark by way of a
free throw. Pretty much a surprise from a team that started the
season 4-0, but hang on, they would get in their groove soon enough.
Ewald was in a groove early himself for Lincoln. He connected from
downtown again and this time his three put the Railers on top 11-1.
Jase Bergschneider hit his first basket of the night for
Taylorlville quickly thereafter and it’s good thing he got a late
start because he would catch fire later on.
Froebe’s baseline drive was good next time down the court and he got
fouled on the play. Making good on his “and one” had everyone
smiling and Lincoln was dominating early 14-3 over the Tornadoes.
Hamlin was also dominating in the lane for Lincoln and his bucket
allowed the Railers a 16-5 lead.
Bergschneider cut the lead in half as he nailed a three with 2.6
seconds remaining on the first quarter clock and that would be the
end of the scoring here.
Everyone headed to the bench with Lincoln on top 16-8.
The second quarter picked up just as quickly as the first quarter
ended. Nick Livingston started it off with a three for Taylorville
and the Tornadoes were off and spinning. It was gonna take a lot to
get ahead of these Railers though.
Hamlin continued to light things up in the lane, Froebe was enjoying
the baseline drive and Whiteman was liking life beyond the arc.
These boys put together a stretch of scoring that saw Lincoln on top
25-11 midway through the second quarter.
And then it was Singleton’s turn. As the playmaker of the team
surrounded by a bunch of sharp-shooters, Singleton’s too busy
running things to score double-digits every night. But he’s smart on
the court and he knows how to take advantage of opportunities. He
dribbled downcourt and as soon as he realized no one was going to
stop him, he moved a little closer in and stopped and popped just
outside the lane and got himself two points. Nice move.
Dreyden Pozsgai had some nice moves in the lane for Lincoln on this
night, too. Pozsgai stands 6’3 and has the ability to out-muscle
anybody in the lane, both offensively and defensively. He put up two
points for Lincoln late in the second quarter on the assist from
Froebe.
Froebe was having himself quite the first half, and he made good on
another drive to the basket after a steal and Lincoln was cruising
out to a 31-16 lead.
Lincoln held possession of the ball for nearly a minute before the
end of the first half but after a failed shot attempt and a bad pass
back out after the offensive rebound, well, the Tornadoes won the
fight and ran quickly to their end for one last scoring attempt.
They were quick and they made it exciting. In a matter of a
split-second Ryan Ess set up way beyond the three-point line and as
the crowd watched the release and the ball fly through the air, the
buzzer sounded and the ball touched nothing but net.
Railer fans have to admit that is the kind of play that gets the
adrenaline pumping. Taylorville might’ve been down 31-19 at the
half, but they certainly weren’t out.
Lucky for the guest fans, Lincoln continued to rule the court in the
third quarter. Ewald and Whiteman hit their threes, Froebe continued
his signature baseline moves and was getting good at drawing the
foul.
And then Noah Funk began to wreak havoc on the court. Well, he’d
already been causing the Tornadoes trouble. He’s a bit of a
whirlwind storm himself you could say. Funk makes things happen on
the court. You always know he’s there. And yes, sometimes he even
leaves behind a little damage. Funk hit a buzzer-beating three to
end the third quarter and caused quite the eruption. He survived the
body-slam from Pozsgai. He made the crowd throw their arms in the
air. He made the Railers bench storm the court in celebration. He
even got a pat on the back from Hamlin. To top things off, the
Taylorville band started playing “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond.
[to top of second column] |
![](../images/120118pics/sports26.jpg)
Coach Neil Alexander doing what he does best on the court ~ getting
the game plan across to his team.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2016/Mar/14/images/ads/current/tires250x300.gif)
The Railers had a 51-32 lead and you gotta be thinking at this
point, “Can this night get any sweeter?!”
The fourth quarter was certainly not lacking in excitement. Another
dunk by Hamlin highlighted the quarter early, but those Tornadoes
were about to prove something. Lincoln had marched out to a 60-44
lead but an 8-0 run by the Tornadoes had all fans at the edge of
their seats. Lincoln was hanging on to a 60-52 lead but the
Tornadoes were striking with little warning.
Finally a beautiful Froebe-to-Whiteman bounce pass through the lane
resulted in a bucket and Lincoln was exhaling again. With around
1:20 left in the game,
Lincoln was up 62-52 and it would take a total collapse for the
Railers to lose this one.
Thankfully Taylorville was forced to foul and while hacking at
Hamlin in the corner, they sent the senior to the line with 58.2
seconds left. He made both shots from the free throw line and the
10-point lead was intact, 64-54 the score.
Taylorville’s Ess would not go away down the stretch and he
connected for two three-pointers in the final seconds to make things
a little too close for comfort.
With the score a tight 64-60, Singleton made a trip to the free
throw line. With 25.5 seconds on the clock the sophomore saw the
first one roll in and out of the basket, but he hit the second one
and Lincoln stretched it out to a 65-60 lead.
Thank goodness, because things are about to get frightening, no need
to run for the storm shelter yet, but close, folks, close.
It was around 15.0 seconds when Ess launched one again from
three-point land and he threw his arms up in jubilation as the ball
sailed through the net. Taylorville was within two points, 65-63, as
Lincoln took the ball out of bounds.
A Tornado steal would change everything. But that didn’t happen.
With the score 65-63, the Tornadoes fouled Froebe in the corner and
he made the long walk to the free throw line at the other end of the
court with only Singleton following him.
The 7.5 seconds left on the clock were intense, but not as intense
as the two free throws Froebe had to knock down. He is cash money at
the line and if you need a loan, he’s the go-to-guy. The lefty
knocked ‘em down without touching the rim and Lincoln was up 67-63.
Taylorville’s final possession was under heavy defensive pressure by
the Railers. A couple forced bad passes did the Tornadoes in. The
clock ran out on Taylorville with Froebe and Livingston on the floor
scrambling for the ball. Of course it did. Froebe was everywhere in
this game!
Railers WIN! Railers WIN!
Lincoln improves to 4-0 overall and 1-0 in the Apollo Conference.
Taylorville falls to 4-1 with their first conference loss, but this
is a Tornado team that will undoubtedly win a lot of ballgames.
Keys to the game:
- Lincoln Railers placed four players in double-figures: Froebe
(19), Hamlin (14), Ewald (11) and Whiteman (10).
- Funk comes off the bench to toss in 6 points.
- Froebe passes for 10 assists.
- Hamlin pulls down 8 rebounds.
- Lincoln shot 3-for-10 from behind the three-point line in the
first half. Not a positive note but the team dialed back the
three-pointers in the second half (3-for-5) and relied on the points
in the paint a little more.
- overall the Railers boasted a 62 percent field goal percentage.
- the free throw shooting was off at 50 percent for Lincoln as the
Railers only knocked down 13-for-26 here. Not even gonna ask Coach
Al for a comment on that stat.
- Taylorville deserves all the credit in the world for not giving up
and proving themselves. Their shooting percentages were all less
than 50 percent, so it was obviously not their best game, but they
battled tough against a Railer team that is quietly going to make a
lot of noise this season.
- Taylorville’s Jase Bergschneider led the team with 19 points and
Ryan Ess scored a respectable 18 points.
- Finally the atmosphere in the gym was spectacular. Deafening loud
for sure and filled will thunderous applauses from both sides. This
made the memories of Friday night basketball, November 30, 2018 in
particular, a true moment to treasure.
These Railers are so much fun, folks. Come see them in action this
Tuesday night, December 4th, as they take on Mattoon on Lincoln’s
own Neil Alexander Court. Can’t wait to see what Railer Nation
brings!
[picture and article by Teena Lowery] |