Lady Railers get a win over Bloomington on Senior Night 

[January 26, 2022] Lincoln hosted Bloomington on Monday night for Senior Night and the Lady Railers got back in the win column with a 46-41 victory over the Purple Raiders. 

With the lights out and the band playing, the Lady Railers were introduced in front of a great crowd and an enthusiastic Railer Nation. The starting lineup on this special night included Becca Heitzig, Kloe Froebe, and seniors Jazmyn Robbins, Reese McCuan and Ryen Stoltzenburg. Also introduced under the lights was senior manager Tori Schilling. 

Lincoln was off to a 4-0 lead after two quick baskets by Kloe Froebe. The Purple Raiders would take a 5-4 lead but then it was Froebe again on the three-point play to make it 7-5 in favor of Lincoln. A steal and a bucket by Froebe extended the lead to 9-5. The Purple Raiders then took a 10-9 lead. With Froebe trying to get the lead back for the Lady Railers, she drove the lane and ended up on the floor with an injury. It would turn out to be a hamstring injury. Froebe would leave the game around the 3:00 mark and not return. Taryn Stoltzenburg replaced Froebe in the lineup and she proceeded to sink the two free throws Froebe had coming and Lincoln was back on top with an 11-10 lead. Bloomington would take a 12-11 lead next. With Becca Heitzig on the run looking to give Lincoln the lead, she would toss up a quick jumper and it was the Lady Railers out front 13-12. Just before the quarter ended the Purple Raiders hit a three to take a 15-13 lead over Lincoln.

The second quarter saw the Purple Raiders start on an 8-0 run and in the blink of an eye the score was 23-13. Heitzig finally hit a basket at the 3:15 mark. Jenna Bowman and Imagin Werner would also hit baskets for the Lady Railers and the deficit was cut to 23-19 at the half.

The third quarter did not lack excitement. After Bloomington took a 25-19 lead, Ryen Stoltzenburg fired off a three and it was good. Only problem, the Purple Raiders answered back with a three of their own. Then the Purple Raiders stole the ball from Lincoln and scored a layup to stretch the lead to 30-22. But hold on. Here comes Bowman hitting the outside jumper to chip away at the lead. Then it was Bowman again on offense, getting the ball to bounce through the rim and just like that the Lady Railers were down just 30-26. Then it was Reese McCuan getting her first basket in the paint to cut the lead to 30-28. Finally from the free throw line, it was Heitzig hitting the jumper and the game was tied 30-30. With the Purple Raiders in a slump, tossing up airballs, the Lady Railers found their groove and they were enjoying the 8-0 scoring run. And they were not done yet. Following a steal, Piper Whiteman would pull a little stop and pop on the Purple Raiders and Lincoln took the lead, 32-30. Bloomington would finally hit a basket to tie the game. But with :45 left in the quarter, and the Lady Railers playing aggressively, Railer Nation was fired up. With 25.1 seconds left, Bowman put Lincoln back on top 34-32. And just when it looked like that could be Lincoln’s last possession of the quarter, here comes Whiteman reading the Bloomington pass and intercepting it. Lincoln would end up scoring again, as Werner tossed one in from the paint and the Lady Railers had taken a 36-32 lead heading into the final eight minutes of play.

Bowman would stretch that lead to 38-32 with the Lady Railers first basket in the fourth quarter. After a three by Bloomington, Whiteman would answer with a three and the Lincoln lead was 41-35 with 6:20 left to play. McCuan’s two points under the basket stretched the lead to 43-35 and it was time for Lincoln to run some time off the clock. The girls moved the ball around, making Bloomington play chase and it worked really well. Lincoln’s scoring would be complete with Tori Geriets and Heitzig sinking free throws and as the ballgame reached the 2:00 mark, Lincoln’s lead was a solid 46-36. Bloomington would have another three left in them, bringing their total to eight for the game, but the Lady Railers hung on for the terrific 46-41 come-from-behind win on Senior Night. 

Nine Lady Railers would enter the scoring column versus Bloomington, with Jenna Bowman leading the way with 10 points. 

Following the win, Head Coach Taylor Rohrer spoke highly of her seniors. “This group of seniors are each so special to me,” said Rohrer. “They’re a huge part of our team and program. They have been great leaders, motivators  and a positive influence for our young team.  They are good people and each of them is strong, intelligent, kind, and passionate; they’re also very funny. I have learned so much from them and they keep me laughing at every turn. Watching them grow from freshman year and being a small part of their life has been a joy and a lot of fun. I know they each have bright futures and I look forward to seeing what their futures hold. They will be missed.”

Rohrer was also pleased with the exciting win by her team. “I am really proud of each of my players for how they played against Bloomington,” said Rohrer. “They stayed composed in a hard situation and handled pressure well. They played outstanding defense and hit some big shots. It was a complete team effort from cheering on the bench to the players on the floor. My coaching staff and I have known for a long time the talent that each of our players has and I thought last night they showcased those skills.” 

Lincoln improves to 18-6 on the season.

In the JV game, the Lady Railers defeated Bloomington 47-9. Piper Whiteman led Lincoln with 16 points. Makinley Knapp added 10 points. 

The Lady Railers will play at Taylorville on Thursday night. The JV game will start at 6 p.m. The Varsity game with tip-off at 7:30 p.m.

Varsity scoring

Lincoln 46

Bowman 10

Froebe 9

Heitzig 7

Whiteman 5

McCuan 4

Werner 4

R. Stoltzenburg 3

Geriets 2

T. Stoltzenburg 2

Bloomington 41

Davis 12

Hilt 10

Dadekian 8

Grisinger 7

Phillips 2

Bargen 2

JV scoring

Lincoln 47

Whiteman 16

Knapp 10

J. Turner 8

A. Turner 6

Geriets 4

Overbey 2

Burge 1

Bloomington 9

Rose 5

May 4

[Teena Lowery]