Railers charge past Champaign Centennial 62-49
Ewald leads Lincoln with 22 points

[January 06, 2019] 

Will Ewald found his stride behind the arc Saturday night in Champaign and his 22 points led Lincoln past the Champaign Centennial Chargers 62-49. Jermaine Hamlin was too tough to handle in the lane as he tossed in 20 points for Lincoln.

The Chargers got on the board first in this one with a field goal from their big guy in the lineup, 6'4 senior Dayton Coleman.

Lincoln answered back with a move from their own big guy. That would be Jermaine Hamlin throwing down a dunk to kick-start the Railers offense. The Chargers Jamonte Williams then scored a bucket in the paint and the running game was on.

A drive by Kaden Froebe tied the score early 4-4. Next possession it was Froebe getting the bounce on his three and Lincoln was up 7-5 early.

The Chargers defense rattled the Railers with a couple blocks before Will Ewald rattled the rim for his first three of the night to put the Railers up 10-5. Add in some Railer points from the free throw line and Lincoln was up 13-5 with under a minute to play in the first quarter. The Chargers 6-0 run closed the gap to a 13-11 Lincoln lead as the first quarter came to a close.

A Hamlin bucket and the "and one" extended Lincoln's lead in the second quarter quickly.

But the Chargers turned things around and took a 17-16 lead over Lincoln just by simply out hustling the boys in red.

Ewald and Hamlin both stepped up to take control and get the lead back for Lincoln. Hamlin was dominate in the lane and got several touches on the ball and he made good on the opportunities. And Ewald found his rhythm from three-point range and when that happens good things come as a result.

So here's how things went down for the Railers:

• Hamlin scored in the paint. Lincoln up 18-17.

• Ewald tossed up a three and the lead was 21-17.

• Hamlin made an impressive spin move in the lane that resulted in a smooth left-handed hook shot. Nothing but net to give Lincoln a 23-19 lead.

• Then it was Ewald dancing around three-point land and doing a little dribble and drain move to put the Railers up 26-19. Nice.

• Then when it was Froebe missing a three, Hamlin to the rescue with the offensive rebound and putback.
  - Finally it was Ewald doing what he's really come to do best. As the Railers moved the ball around for that last second shot, Ewald found a spot he liked, and you know what he did. Nothing but net for a three that fell through the twine with 2.2 seconds on the clock.

Lincoln sprinted to the locker room with a 31-19 halftime lead.

Despite a little run by the Chargers fresh out of the locker room, Lincoln held onto a 34-26 lead thanks to some free throws from Hamlin. Ewald was still hitting, thankfully, and his three extended the Lincoln lead to 37-26.

The Chargers did make the game tight at the 3:16 mark in the third quarter as the Lincoln lead was cut to 38-30 after a reverse layup by Bryson Cowper.

But it was Ewald to the rescue again. His three was on the money and with under 3:00 minutes to play in the third quarter Lincoln was out to a double-digit lead again, 41-30.

Spencer Evans would hit a shot from the outside for Centennial with just under a minute left here. His basket was just one in a handful of outside shots made by the Chargers.

It was a cold night of shooting for Centennial from long range.

Meanwhile Lincoln connected for nine three-point baskets against the Chargers.

Will Ewald sinks a couple free throws late in the fourth quarter versus Champaign Centennial. Ewald was on fire from three-point range and led Lincoln with 22 points.

Noah Funk hit a three early in the fourth quarter to extend the lead to 44-32. The score was 46-34 following another Hamlin dunk but this time the referee called a technical foul on the senior for hanging on the rim. Lincoln fans didn't particularly agree with that call. Can't blame them. Cowper shot the technical free throws for the Chargers and he was 1-for-2 in his chances. No real damage done.

At any rate the ball kept bouncing on the court and the players weren't bothered in the least.

Dylan Singleton's quick pass in the lane to Ewald gave the junior an opportunity for a two-pointer. Ewald's layup made the score 48-35.

Kameron Whiteman's three put the Railers in a comfortable position with a 51-37 lead. Even though the Chargers were quick, they weren't about to catch Lincoln on this night.

Hamlin was too dominate in the lane and when the big guy couldn't get a hand on the ball he had a great support group around him. Singleton's hustle allowed him to score in the paint as the fourth quarter was winding down.

And then it was Whiteman, Ewald and Singleton wrapping up the Railers scoring from the free throw line. A 62-49 victory was in the books and Lincoln improves to 13-2 overall on the season.

Earlier in the evening, the Railers JV team suffered their first loss of the season and it was heartbreaker. A half-court buzzer beater by Centennial gave them a 47-44 win.

Landon Hullinger poured in 18 points for Lincoln.

Seth Tungate scored 10 points in the loss.

Lincoln's JV team is still impressive with a 10-1 record.

An Apollo Conference matchup with Charleston awaits the Railers next Friday night at Roy S. Anderson Gymnasium.

Varsity scoring

Lincoln 62

Ewald 22
Hamlin 20
Froebe 7
Singleton 5
Whiteman 5
Funk 3

Centennial 49

Williams 14
Coleman 14
Cowper 13
Flowers 6
Evans 2

JV scoring

Lincoln 44

Hullinger 18
Tungate 10
Whiteman 7
Ferguson 5
Grunder 4

Centennial 47

Warren 17
Webb 10
Burton 5
Lacy 4
Makabu 3
Bryson 3
McClure 2
Young 2

[Teena Lowery]