Railers run past the Flaming Hearts 56-39
Dylan Singleton leads Lincoln with 16 points

[December 14, 2019]  Roy S. Anderson Gymnasium had a cozy Christmas feel on Friday night as the Lincoln Railers took the home court for the last time in 2019. Railer Nation was decked out in Christmas-themed attire and the senior Railer cheerleaders sported their Christmas sweaters. Even Santa Claus made an appearance with the dance team at halftime. It was a festive mood inside the gym and once the Railers tipped-off at 7:30 p.m. the excitement only heightened.

Thirty-seconds into the game the Railers were up 5-0 on an opening three by Will Ewald and a quick two by Dylan Singleton.

Effingham’s go-to guy, Parker Wolfe, countered with a deep three for the Flaming Hearts to get their offense started.

Singleton then answered Wolfe with his own three and Lincoln was quick to make a statement.

The combined speed of Singleton and Ewald accounted for Lincoln’s next couple baskets. Both are so well-versed on the fast break and a little give-and-go equaled a couple more baskets for the Railers.

Landon Hullinger completed the first quarter with his own long three and Lincoln held a 15-5 advantage over Effingham.

Not too embarrassed, the Flaming Hearts made a run in the second quarter and put up 11 straight points to overtake the Railers and jump in front 16-15. Effingham would lead 18-17 after Wolfe sank two free throws at the three-minute mark and it was evident the Flaming Hearts were testing the Railers.

Seconds later a sweet drive by Hullinger, one of his signature baseline-to-the-basket moves, put the Railers back in front 19-18.

Drew Thompson’s bucket put Effingham back in front for a short-lived lead and thankfully that’s all there is to write about that.

A steal by Singleton put Lincoln up 21-20 and the Railers were ready to ace the test from here on out. Kaden Froebe earned the next two points for Lincoln that began on a nice dish from Kameron Whiteman. Nice work by Froebe getting to the basket. Finishing the shot was not easy but the senior bound for Missouri S & T made it look effortless.

Singleton would finish the half by sinking a couple free throws and Lincoln took a 25-22 lead into the break. A nice first half by Singleton, who poured in 11 points, and was right in the middle of making things happen at both ends of the court.

The third quarter was pleasing to Lincoln fans as the Railers stretched the lead to ten points.

After Froebe sank a couple free throws, Hullinger stepped into the corner to connect for a long three and then just seconds later the ball ended up in Lando’s hands again and he decided to stop and pop this time near the free throw line. A smooth two that was nothing but net for the junior and fans knew he was feeling the groove.

Lincoln’s lead was 32-22 and the Flaming Hearts were frustrated trying to depend upon Wolfe for their offense. Wolfe kept them in the game by scoring 12 points in the second half but that’s not good enough against this Lincoln offense. Lincoln led 39-29 at the end of the third quarter.

Back-to-back baseline drives by Ewald extended the Lincoln lead to 44-32 in the fourth quarter. Down the stretch Lincoln had no problem taking advantage of the opportunities given to them at the free throw line. The Railers finished the final moments of the game by going 9-of-11 from the line and settled the score at 56-39.

Four Railers hit double figures, with Dylan Singleton in the lead with 16 points. Will Ewald tossed in 14 points. Kaden Froebe connected for 12 points. Landon Hullinger was smooth with his 10 points.

Parker Wolfe led Effingham with 23 points.

Lincoln improves to 7-0 overall and 3-0 in the Apollo Conference.

Lincoln won the JV game 41-27 over Effingham.

Varsity scoring

Lincoln 56

Singleton 16
Ewald 14
Froebe 12
Hullinger 10
K. Whiteman 4

Effingham 39

P. Wolfe 23
N. Thompson 6
D. Thompson 5
Stoneburner 5

JV scoring

Lincoln 41

Koehler 9
B. Whiteman 7
Sasse 7
Graue 6
Battin 4
Pollice 4
Hoffert 2
Cook 2

Effingham 27

Pals 7
Lee 5
Volpi 5
Woelfer 3
Logan 3
G. Wolfe 2
Fox 2

Lincoln will not return home until January 7, 2020.

[Teena Lowery]