Railers defeat Cahokia 69-22 to start the 2022-2023 season
Cook records a double-double, 18 points and 10 rebounds

[November 22, 2022]

The Lincoln Railers were off and running on Monday night as they opened the 2022-2023 season with a 69-22 win over the Cahokia Comanches in the 2022 Lincoln/Eaton Thanksgiving Tournament.

Coach Neil Alexander put a starting lineup of Trey Schilling, Ki’on Carson, Drew Hayes, Jake Bivin and Payton Cook on the floor versus the Comanches.

Senior Payton Cook jumped center for the Railers and he won the tip and it went into the hands of Ki’on Carson. Carson pushed the ball up the floor quickly and passed it to Bivin, who tossed it into the hands of Cook in the paint. Cook banked it in for the first points of the season and the Railers were on the board with a 2-0 lead.

A minute later junior Trey Schilling would score the Railers first three of the season and Lincoln was up 5-0. Schilling is recovered from that nasty injury to his finger that occurred while lifting weights and the Railers will definitely depend upon his ability to shoot from long range this season.

Drew Hayes scored the next two buckets for the Railers, the 6’4 sophomore drove baseline for the layup at the 5:32 mark and then forty seconds later he was making his way into the lane again to score. This put Lincoln up 9-0.

A free throw by Cook gave the Railers a double-digit lead with just under three minutes left in the quarter and the Comanches were yet to score.

With Aidan Gowin entering the game off the bench, the 5’11 junior didn’t hesitate to get in the scoring column. Gowin scored on a layup after a Lincoln steal and by now the Comanches were really rattled by the incredible defense of this Railer team.

The Comanches finally scored at the 1:08 mark. Omarion Gooden hit a three and flashed a smile at Railer Nation, who had been teasing him early on, as he was positioned right in front of them on offense.

One more basket by Cook closed out the first quarter and the Railers lead was 14-3.

In the second quarter Cook picked up right where he left off and with a basket and the ‘and one,’ the Railers were commanding the Comanches with a 17-3 lead.

Gooden scored another three for the Comanches to make the score 17-6 but because of that tough Railer defense, the rest of his team couldn’t even see the basket.

Enter Camden Nelson from the bench and he was quick to get in the scoring column, too. Nelson watched a three sail through the net as he was knocked to the floor, no foul, but that was one heckuva tough shot with the defender on him like gravy on those Thanksgiving mashed potatoes. The Railers lead was now 20-6. With Cook and Schilling scoring on free throws the lead grew to 23-6. Then it was Hayes, with traffic all around him, going up strong in the lane for another two points. Hayes got some playing time last year as a freshman and it’s already evident early on he’s bigger, stronger and playing with more confidence.

Talking about confidence, Nelson has it from the outside. He hit another long three with 2:08 on the clock and does this ever get Railer Nation fired up with the chants of “Nelly, Nelly!” Nelson’s three put Lincoln up 28-6.

The final two minutes of the quarter were a blur. You can’t blink your eyes on this team, you’ll miss something. Steals and layups and free throws wrote the story here. After the outlet pass from Gowin to Nelson the Railers were dominating the Comanches with a 38-8 lead and Cahokia had to be thankful it was halftime.

The third quarter action featured field goals from Trey Schilling, Jake Bivin, Payton Cook and Drew Hayes, all names that you’re going to see a lot in the scoring column this season. As a 6’7 senior, Cook is going to be the man in the middle, but don’t be shocked to see him step outside his comfort zone from time to time. The kid loves to shoot the three and with 3:16 showing on the third quarter clock he was lurking around that three-point line near Railer Nation and after taking the pass from Hayes on the baseline, Cook drained a three. Railer Nation erupted with chants of “Cookie! Cookie!” A glance at the scoreboard showed the Railers winning 50-12.

Gowin rattled off the next four points to make the score 54-15.

With under a minute to play, the Railers’ Nelson and the Comanches’ Gooden each sank threes and the score was 57-15. This would end the third quarter scoring.

Coach Neil Alexander put Camden Nelson, Aidan Gowin, Darren Stevens, Cadge Kingsley and Tyler Sasse on the court to start the fourth quarter.

With a running clock now in effect, the Railers were going to be able to drive home to victory pretty quickly. Nelson added another three to make the score 60-20.

With 5:18 on the clock, a soft kiss off the glass by Gowin made the score 62-20 and the crowd was still cheering as if it was the start of the game.

At the 5:00 minute mark, Railer Nation started the chant, “We want Frank!” They were calling for Coach Alexander to put in Frank Sanders, a 6’4 sophomore sitting on the bench, who looks to be a fan favorite. What Railer Nation did get, however, was sophomores Brady Miller and Gabe Smith. Smith wasn’t even on the court a minute and he was scoring in the lane. Sasse added a bucket to make the score 66-22 as the Comanches were down to their final two minutes of misery.

Frank Sanders would finally enter the game late in the fourth quarter, much to the delight of his cheering section. While Sanders did not score, Miller did and the fans were equally as excited. Miller’s three in front of the Railer bench got everybody up off their feet.

The Railers would go on to win by a final score of 69-22.

Quick take-aways from the game are just that. The Railers are quick and will take the ball away from their opponents at the drop of a hat. The Railers had 15 steals in the game and forced 23 turnovers.

The Railers were impressive from the start with their speed, led by junior Ki’on Carson on the point. His speed is going to pace the team all season long and with guys like Cook, Hayes and Bivin able to get up and down the court easily, this team is going to be dangerous.

The Railers crashed the boards and ended with 31 rebounds as a team.

Payton Cook was impressive in his first game of the season. Cook recorded a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. It’s obvious he’s also stronger, quicker and more confident than last season. He’s bound to make a lot of noise in his senior season.

Camden Nelson and Aidan Gowin hit double-figures while coming off the bench. Nelson tossed in 14 points and was 4-for-6 from the three-point range. Gowin put up some baskets in the paint and finished with 11 points.

Overall it was a nice win on opening night and the Railer fans have reason to be excited. This is going to be a fun team to watch. They don’t lack in effort or intensity.

Neither does Railer Nation. Quick shout-out to Railer Nation - one of the best cheering sections around. They are relentless with their enthusiasm.

Lincoln will be back in action on Wednesday night to take on a reportedly-stacked team from Mount Zion. That game is set to tip-off at 7:30 p.m. So whip up those Thanksgiving side dishes early and chill them in the ‘frig and come watch the Railers at Roy S. Anderson Gymnasium.

In earlier tournament games:

Mount Zion 66
Belleville Althoff 49

Mahomet-Seymour 56
Champaign Centennial 41

Scoring

Lincoln 69
Cook 18
Nelson 14
Gowin 11
Hayes 9
Schilling 7
Miller 3
Bivin 2
Sasse 2
Smith 2
Carson 1

Cahokia 22
Omarion 12
Kizer 6
Griffin 2
Butler 2

Teena Lowery