Lincoln rolls past Decatur Eisenhower 79-41
Kaden Froebe and Kameron Whiteman combine for 46 points

[February 23, 2020] 

The Lincoln Railers are riding a 13-game winning streak into the home stretch of the 2019-20 season.

On Saturday night the Railers traveled to Decatur Eisenhower to take on the Panthers and before it was all said and done, the running clock took over in the fourth quarter and Lincoln won easily 79-41.

Dylan Singleton was the first Railer to put points on the board with a quick bucket in the lane, but the Panthers answered with a three from R.J. Walker, and just like that something rare had happened. Lincoln trailed 3-2, but it was just a minute into the action.

It didn’t take long for Lincoln to regain control of the lead, with a corner three by Landon Hullinger. After a quick steal by Hullinger at the other end seconds later, it was “Lando” getting the crowd pumped up with the alley-oop from Kaden Froebe.

Next up it was the steal by Will Ewald and the pass ahead to Singleton that resulted in a basket and a 9-3 Lincoln lead. That all escalated pretty quickly, as the Railers never waste any time in the first quarter.

Eisenhower was not slacking, however, and a steal by Brylan Phillips led to a three and a 9-6 score at the 4:26 mark.

Kameron Whiteman found his comfort zone at the top of the arc on the Railers next possession and he launched a three for Lincoln to double up the score 12-6.

Ten seconds later Walker danced his way through the lane to toss in a bucket for the Panthers and the gymnasium exploded with applause, first from the black and gold crowd and then the red and green Railer faithful that had made the journey to Decatur. Walker had just made his 1,000th career point, as a junior, and the fans loved the moment.

The game was stopped to recognize Walker at center court as everyone stood in appreciation of his accomplishment. Again, he is just a junior. After the recognition, he sank his foul shot from the play and the Panthers were crawling back into the game with the score now 12-9. A bucket by Phillips cut the lead to 12-11 and it was time for the Railers to turn things up a notch.

Say no more. Froebe proceeded to toss in a couple two-point field goals and the Lincoln defense went to the next level and a couple steals were the result. When that happens the layup always follows, and most often it is Singleton dashing through the lane quicker than Coach Alexander can drive to Apple Mart and grab a fountain soda. And that’s actually pretty fast.

Froebe meanwhile ended the quarter with a three and the 21-11 Lincoln lead. A 9-0 run to close out the first quarter action if you are tallying at home.

Who likes to get things going in the second quarter? Well that would be Kameron Whiteman. He didn’t hesitate to hit a three and then as a really cool bonus, he got fouled. A four-point play is a thing of beauty and Whiteman made it happen with the extra point at the free throw line.

Lincoln continued to pressure the ball in the second quarter and turnover after turnover really frustrated the Panthers. Of course all of the points did too. After Hullinger’s soft jumper down the baseline fell gently through the net, Lincoln was up by 20 points with a 31-11 lead. That 10-0 run only took two minutes.

The Railers certainly know how to crank up the heat on teams when necessary. The lead didn’t dwindle by no means, and after a sweet little kiss off the glass by Singleton in the Railers lane, the 35-14 lead was the result at the 4:26 mark.

The dynamic duo of Froebe and Whiteman finished the scoring in the final minutes of the second quarter for Lincoln. They each added four more points to their running totals and as the quarter ended, the Railers were rolling over the Panthers 43-24.

The third quarter always tends to fly by even though there might be a few more stops at the free throw line. Lincoln can usually put it on autopilot and see what happens. In this case Saturday night, Whiteman took control on offense and led with nine points. He was feeling a groove all night long and to watch him sink threes when he’s in this mindset is undoubtedly pure and simple fun. He stretched the lead to 60-35 around the 1:30 mark and at this point the guy from Channel 1450 was just hoping for a 30-point lead and a running clock so he could start to editing the highlight reel early. He would get his wish pretty quick.

Lincoln ended the third quarter with a 62-35 lead after Froebe blew by everybody on the fast break. Nope, these guys are not even showing signs of being tired in the least.

Let’s pick up the fourth quarter scoring with a drive by Whiteman. He just broke free from everyone and didn’t waste the opportunity to score. It helps when your teammates are lightening fast on the passes. It’s been said over and over, but this Railer team shares the ball uniquely unselfishly and it shows in the balanced scoring night after night.

Worth mentioning is the fourth quarter quickness of Froebe, too. Literally after Whiteman’s bucket, Froebe used the next Railer possession to take the quick bounce pass from Singleton and go baseline for the reverse layup, losing R.J. Walker in the process.

Pretty soon it was Ewald’s turn to do the same. Quick passes around the perimeter and then it was Jaquan Ratliff losing touch of Ewald, who was already watching the ball fall through the net for a 69-39 Railers lead.

No stopping this clock now with 4:40 left to play. The Lincoln lead grew more after a technical foul on a Panthers player, it just seemed like he might have said a little too much to a referee, nonetheless Hullinger stepped to the line for the Railers. Hullinger was a perfect 4-for-4 from the line and Lincoln was up 75-41 with 3:32 left to play.

The subs entered the game for Lincoln with 3:16 left and a basket by Seth Tungate and a couple free throws by Tyler Sasse completed the scoring for the Railers.

A 79-41 win over Decatur Eisenhower left the Railers feeling satisfied.

Kaden Froebe led Lincoln with 24 points. Kameron Whiteman was close behind him with 22 points. Singleton (14) and Hullinger (13) hit those double-digits as well.

R.J. Walker led Decatur Eisenhower with 14 points as he hit the milestone of 1,000 career points.

Lincoln improves to 28-2 on the season.

The Railers JV won 46-36 over Eisenhower. Brody Whiteman led Lincoln with 20 points. Trent Koehler tossed in 10 points for the Railers.

The Railers JV improves to 19-3 on the season.

Lincoln will host Normal West on Friday, February 28, 2020 for Senior Night.

Will Ewald, Kameron Whiteman and Kaden Froebe will be the senior basketball players honored.

The Varsity is scheduled to tip-off at 7:30 p.m. JV will tip-off at 6
p.m.

Varsity scoring

Lincoln 79

Froebe 24
K. Whiteman 22
Singleton 14
Hullinger 13
Ewald 2
Tungate 2
Sasse 2

Eisenhower 41

Walker 16
Phillips 11
Shelley 6
Mann 4
Ratliff 2
Green 2

JV scoring

Lincoln 46

B. Whiteman 20
Koehler 10
Miller 5
Graue 3
Sasse 3
Klopp 3
Pollice 2

Eisenhower 36

Phillips 12
Richardson 11
Mann 6
Taylor 3
Jones 3
Groon 1

[Teena Lowery]