High School Girls Basketball
2023 Manual Holiday Girls Basketball Tournament
Lady Railers defeat Decatur MacArthur 74-25


 

[December 28, 2023] 

The Lady Railers defeated the Decatur MacArthur Generals 74-25 on Wednesday afternoon in the 2023 Manual Holiday Girls Basketball Tournament in Peoria.

Kloe Froebe led Lincoln with 24 points and Becca Heitzig added 14 points.

It is a pretty good bet that Decatur MacArthur really didn’t want to face Lincoln again this year, but they had no choice after being put in Lincoln’s pool at the last minute for this tournament. Back on November 28th the Lady Railers beat the Lady Generals 72-22 on the night the 2023 State Runner-Up banner was unveiled and well, the rematch with Lincoln was about to be just as ugly for the Lady Generals.

First Quarter

Taryn Stoltzenburg drained a three just seconds after tip-off and Lincoln was on the board first. The score would rest on 3-0 for what seemed like an eternity as both teams missed shots and turned the ball over. Becca Heitzig finally broke through with a basket at the 4:10 mark and the Lincoln lead was 5-0. From there it climbed to 13-0 with Froebe and Stoltzenburg each scoring baskets in the paint. The Lady Generals finally opened the lid on their basket at the 2:10 mark and the score was 13-2. With Froebe and Jenna Bowman finishing the scoring in the first quarter, Lincoln held a respectable 19-5 lead.

Second Quarter

Froebe’s three from the wing started Lincoln off on a good note in the second quarter. After Heitzig hit her signature jumper, the Lincoln lead was intact, 24-7 the score. Froebe took another attempt at the three and was successful as Lincoln was on top 27-9. After Mia Clark’s layup on the assist from Froebe, Lincoln was up 29-9. We all know what follows a 20-point lead. A 30-point lead was just around the corner. During the 15-2 run that would end the second quarter, Heitzig dominated the lane with her stop n’ pop move while Tori Geriets added a layup and Clark continued to be consistent at the free throw line. Froebe also connected for one more three before the half ended with the score 42-11.

Third Quarter

The starters got to see some action in the third quarter, as it’s always a good time to work on things here with a comfortable lead. Every starter and the sixth “man” scored for Lincoln, extending the lead to 63-20.

Fourth Quarter

Here we go again. It’s running clock time. Trivia question question. How many times have the Lady Railers had a running clock on opponents this season? Hint: the number is one more than the number of boyfriends Taylor Swift has had. Swift is currently on number 13. Maybe she’ll stay stuck on this one. If it’s up to Piper Whiteman then Travis Kelce will definitely be the last boyfriend. At any rate the answer is 14. With the second unit, as Jay Hardin calls them on the radio, making their presence known in the final fast and furious quarter, the score reached an end result of 74-25. Ceana Adams always comes in like a wrecking ball and she put up five points to lead Lincoln here. Makinley Knapp, Mesa McCloud and Clark also lit up the scoreboard in the final quarter.

The win puts Lincoln in the 6:30 p.m. game tonight versus Dunlap.

The Lady Railers improved to 15-0 on the season.

Fun fact: the only game so far this season that the Lady Railers have not turned on the running clock is the game against Dave Kindred’s beloved Morton Lady Potters.

Lincoln 74

Froebe 24
Heitzig 14
Stoltzenburg 9
Bowman 6
Clark 6
Adams 5
Geriets 4
Knapp 2
Whiteman 2
McCloud 2

Decatur MacArthur 25

Carson 11
Meyer 7
Wilson 3
Gibbs 2
Cliff 2

[Teena Lowery]