Railers notch fourth straight win with 41-34 victory over Washington

 

[December 23, 2023] 

Lincoln – The Railer basketball team continued its defensive domination of opponents as Lincoln held Washington to 34 points and escaped with its fourth consecutive win in a 41-34 non-conference victory.

While the Railer offense has yet to fire on all cylinders, Lincoln’s stifling defense has shined throughout its recent run of success.

“Our defense was really, really good,” Lincoln head coach Neil Alexander said. “It was a really good defensive effort. They’ve [Washington] got some shooters out there. They’re a young team; they’ve got young pieces. They’re going to be pretty good.”

The margin of victory could have been larger, but Lincoln’s inability to make free throws down the stretch gave Washington an opening to make the game close.

Frank Sanders

Lincoln led 30-19 after three quarters. Lincoln outscored Washington 8-5 in the first seven minutes of the quarter to extend its lead to 38-24 thanks to three baskets by Frank Sanders and another by Aidan Gowin. But Lincoln missed seven free throws in the final minute of the game to leave an opening for Washington to make a game of it. The Panthers outscored Lincoln 10-3 in the final minute of the game but fell short to allow the Railers to escape with a 41-34 win.

Aidan Gowin

“We held them to 12 points in the first half,” Alexander said. “We had them at 12 points for the longest time in the second half, but then we lost track and didn’t make free throws and it just made things kind of pile up on us.”

Lincoln made only 3 of 8 free throws in the fourth quarter and made just 5 of 14 (35.7 percent) for the game.

“You’re not going to win any close games from the free throw line like that,” Alexander said. “We tried to get a lot of different people there to see if they can make them at the end, but I’m really happy for our kids. I think for 28 minutes they played really, really super basketball. I didn’t think we closed the game out like we should, and that’s where, in the past, we’ve really shined. We haven’t been able to do that, and we have to be able to make free throws.”

Head Coach Neil Alexander

The win is Lincoln’s seventh in its last eight games as the Railers moved their overall record to 8-3. The team now has a few days to prepare for its December 27 opening game against McCluer North in the Collinsville Holiday Tournament.

Alexander is hopeful the setup of the Collinsville tournament might help jump start the Railer offense.

“After tonight, we get the next four games with the shot clock,” he said, referring to the Collinsville tournament. “I’ve been looking forward to that; they can’t get the shot clock in quick enough.”

Regardless of any shortcomings, Alexander said he was happy with the effort of his squad.

“I was really pleased; our kids played hard, we covered up, we moved,” he said. “We’ve going to give up some easy ones here and there, but for the most part, they [Washington] had to work really, really hard for their scores.”

Trey Schilling

Sanders led Lincoln with 8 points and 5 rebounds. Gowin and Trey Schilling scored 7 points each, Karson Komnick added 6 and Brady Miller scored 5.

“I thought he played a really, really one of his better games,” Alexander said of Sanders. “Early in the year, his knees were hurting; he was bruised up pretty good. Hopefully, as time goes on, he’ll get to feeling better and we’ll see a little bit more quickness out of him. He’s got some quickness to him, and he’s a big boy.”

Lincoln opens play in the Collinsville Holiday Tournament against McCluer North High School from Florissant, Mo.

“McCluer North is a good basketball team,” Alexander said. “I’m sure they’ve got tape on us, but we haven’t been able to execute a lot of things. I’m excited to go down there and play some teams that don’t really know us.”

[Loyd Kirby]