Lady Railers take down Peoria 48-41
Team improves to 24-0

[January 23, 2023]  If Saturday afternoon’s Lady Railer game was the biggest game of the season, so far that is, then the ladies passed the test with flying colors. Playing in front of the largest crowd of the season at Roy S. Anderson, these girls delivered the goods and it’s definitely time to “believe the hype.”

Two of this season’s best teams in the state of Illinois battled it out with each other and in the end it was no. 3 Lincoln on top of no. 2 Peoria by a final score of 48-41.

The five girls taking the court to start the game for Peoria were: 5’6 junior Niasha Rutherford, 5’4 freshman Danielle Ruffin, 6’1 senior Denali Craig-Edwards, 5’10 junior Aaliyah Guyton and 5’8 junior Allannah Jackson.

Lincoln’s starting five included: 5’5 junior Taryn Stoltzenburg, 5’9 junior Kloe Froebe, 5’6 junior Jenna Bowman, 5’8 junior Tori Geriets, and in for the injured Becca Heitzig, it’s 5’7 sophomore Piper Whiteman.

This game started out very fast, with both teams well- conditioned and obviously hyped up for the important game. There was outstanding defense on both ends of the court, but the Lincoln girls really shook up the Lions offense in the first half and forced them to take some quick shots that just didn’t have a chance to fall in. Lincoln also forced some key turnovers early on and the result was much to the delight of the crowd, as they saw their beloved Lady Railers spring out to a huge early lead.

After the Lions won the tip, they were quick to turn the ball over on their end. While Lincoln would fail to score in their first chance down the court, it would be the Lady Railers lighting up the scoreboard first. Kloe Froebe’s drive down the baseline scored the first two points for Lincoln. Froebe then used a little fake in the lane next time down the court to put Lincoln in front 4-0.

At the 5:30 mark Peoria’s star guard, Aaliyah Guyton, sank a three and the crowd knew this game was going to be an intense ballgame, 4-3 the score.

But hey, leave it to Froebe to add to the Lincoln lead with a nice little stop n’ pop and Lincoln was up 6-3. After a steal by Jenna Bowman, the Lady Railers were off and running again. While Froebe would miss the shot, she would hustle towards the rebound. Froebe is one of the best there is at following her shot, and she would put the offensive rebound up and in for an 8-3 Lincoln lead with 4:20 on the clock.
 

Tori Geriets received the assist from Froebe to score the next two points for Lincoln in the lane. As the two-minute mark grew closer Piper Whiteman sank a free throw and Lincoln was up 11-3. Then a minute later it was Jenna Bowman hitting the first three of the game for the Lady Railers and the Lincoln crowd was extremely happy with a 14-3 lead. They were about to get even happier.

About fifteen seconds after Bowman’s bucket, it was Froebe making an impressive move in the lane and Lincoln was leaving the Lions shaking their heads with a 16-3 lead. Enter 5’9 freshman Mia Clark for Lincoln and while it looked for a second like the Lady Railers might hold for a last second shot, well no that was not the case. Clark saw an opportunity from beyond the arc and bravely took it. Her three sailed through the net with :25 seconds left in the quarter and that basket would actually set the first quarter score at 19-3.

The fans were quick to raise off the bleachers and applaud the ladies for a tremendous first quarter performance.

Whiteman extended the lead shortly into the second quarter. Her two free throws gave Lincoln a very unexpected 21-3 lead with 7:45 on the clock. Guyton broke what was probably her team’s longest scoring drought of the season when she finally dropped in two points with 7:18 on the clock, 21-5 now the score. A minute later Froebe’s free throw made the score 22-5 and that was followed by Whiteman’s drive to the bucket in the next possession. After Froebe was in control of the ball again, she took it all the way in for one of those beautiful left-handed layups and the Lions coach, Meechie Edwards, had seen enough and called timeout. Lincoln was up 26-5 over the team that rested in the no. 2 spot ahead of them. Very impressive. Guyton, however, would not allow her team to give up and she finally got a couple shots to fall and this allowed her team to pull closer, 26-9 the score.

Froebe’s points in the paint and her ‘and one’ got the crowd stirred up and the 29-9 lead was met with much applause. Cheers of “Lincoln, Lincoln” were started by the alumni coaches and players in the building and the younger generation of Railer Nation followed suit. Before long it was heard loudly throughout the gym as the fans clapped and smiled. Everyone, except the Lions, were having fun on this terrific afternoon of basketball.
 

But the game was far from over. Yet again, it would be Guyton pouring in four points as the quarter was winding down. Denali Craig-Edwards also added a free throw with seconds left in the quarter, as did Froebe, and this would allow the Lady Railers to trot off to the locker room with a 30-14 lead.

The highlight of halftime was the huge crowd of former Lady Railers AND former coaches who were in attendance to show their support of this year’s team and they gathered at center court for a photo, after they were wrangled into order by Jan Bowers and Lynn Paulus.

Also heard from the Peoria side, just before halftime, was “The second half is going to be different.”

And it was. The Lions came out from the locker room with a fire in their eyes and they weren’t about to let Lincoln get by easily. What had already been a pretty good battle, was about to be heightened even more.

Niasha Rutherford opened the third quarter with a quick two. It took Froebe twenty seconds to answer with another move from the left side and the score was 32-16. Guyton and Craig-Edwards then ran off a string of points for the Lions and they were crawling back in it with the score 32-23.

With Froebe dishing off to Bowman with 4:23 left in the quarter, the Lady Railers were able to earn that double-digit lead back, 34-23 the score. Guyton was quick to score again though and that gave her 20 points in the game, while Froebe was leading her team with 19 points. At the 2:17 mark Rutherford launched a three that sailed through the net and this cut the lead to 34-28. The Lions were fighting back with vengeance and after Guyton banked in a shot with 1:44 on the clock, the Lincoln lead was a slim 34-30. Guyton was definitely using her quickness and athleticism to bring her team back, all the while maintaining her composure. With just under a minute left in the third quarter, Froebe’s layup broke that frustrating four and a half minutes that Lincoln had gone without a basket and this would keep the Lady Railers in front 36-30 when the third quarter buzzer sounded.

With eight minutes left to go, it was still anybody’s ballgame, but Lincoln had an obvious home court advantage with its huge crowd.
 

Froebe sank a free throw early in the fourth quarter and the lead was 37-30. The Lions missed their chance to score and it was Lincoln’s ball again, as Froebe pulled down the rebound and ran with it. The next move was undoubtedly the biggest moment of the game. Froebe ran towards the lane, ran into a couple defenders, so she kicked it out to Taryn Stoltzenburg. Stoltzenburg was standing by the end of the Lady Railers bench and she quickly launched the ball in the air. It glided through the net for a three and the gym exploded. With the crowd roaring, the Lady Railers had a 40-30 lead and talk about a pivotal moment. With the game on the line and really at a point where it could seriously go either way, the junior wearing jersey no. 1 in the corner made the most important basket of her career so far. And the crowd nearly blew rafters off the gym as that ball dropped to the floor.

Forty-seconds later Froebe was quick to score off yet another offensive rebound and this stretched the lead to 42-30. Now the Lions were still in the fight and baskets by Rutherford and Guyton would make the score 42-34 but with Froebe and her Oscar-worthy supporting cast stepping up time after time, the lead would quickly be back to ten points. Near the four-minute mark, Froebe dished it off to Geriets in the lane again, and no. 24 didn’t miss a beat in sinking the shot to make the score 44-34.

The excitement was far from over, as Lincoln had learned in the third quarter the no. 2 ranked team in the state has the ability to bounce back. But the Lady Railers were going to do everything possible to prevent that from happening again. At the 3:06 mark, Froebe stood at the free line for a one-and-one. With the crowd on the edge of their seats, she rattled in the first free throw and then bounced in the second one. The crowd exhaled and glanced at a 46-34 lead on the scoreboard. Peoria scored again just under the 3:00 mark to cut the lead back to ten.

It was still an intense game, with a bad pass by Lincoln and Froebe getting her fourth foul. And that was followed by boos, and lots of them. Rutherford sank those free throws when the gym quieted down and then after another foul on Lincoln, Craig-Edwards sank a free throw and the lead was cut to 46-39 with less than two minutes remaining.

Craig-Edwards would pick up her fourth foul to send Froebe to the line with 1:53 on the clock. Froebe made these two shots with ease and Lincoln was up 48-39. Guyton would make the Lions last basket on a drive right down the middle of the lane with 24.5 seconds left and that would make the final score 48-41. With Lincoln holding possession of the ball in the final seconds, the Lions were finally forced to give in and accept defeat.

That’s a 24-0 start to the season by these Lady Railers, a new school record!

Kloe Froebe was making all the right moves in this game and she led the team with 28 points.
 

Her teammates played outstanding, too and the girls hit their shots at just the right time. It was a fun atmosphere to take in and without a doubt these girls rose to the occasion and their coach was very proud of them after the game.

“It was unreal,” said Coach Taylor Rohrer, alluding to the electric atmosphere inside Roy S. Anderson. “It was really cool to have so many people here. There are really no words to explain what it feels like to play in front of a packed house here. There was an electricity in the crowd and I think that really motivated our girls. I am very grateful that so many people came out to see our kids and there’s nothing like playing in this gym when it’s packed. It’s a very cool thing and we’re very thankful.”

As for the 24-0 record, which beats the 23-0 record set by the 1978-79 team, Coach Rohrer was a little hesitant to talk about it, but she smiled and answered, “We knew about five games ago that it could fall on this day and be Peoria. We were kinda like it would be really cool if we broke it, but if we don’t, that’s not the goal this season anyway. So it is very cool that we broke it and what a great accomplishment for our girls.”

“But that’s not the ultimate goal,” Rohrer continued. “We have much further to go. There’s a lot of games left and we’re just going to keep working hard and keep improving. We will go into our next game prepared and ready to go. And one game at a time here.”

One game at a time has been the team’s thought process all season and it’s working out great at this point.

Coach Rohrer did offer praise for the star point guard for Peoria, Aaliyah Guyton. Guyton led her team with 26 points and her demeanor on the court matches that of Froebe.

“Aaliyah Guyton is a great player who kept her composure at all times,” said Rohrer. “She is very athletic and a very skilled player. She is fun to watch for sure.”

These two teams definitely made it hard for each other to get off good shots at times. Every single girl on the court played outstanding defense. And every shot that did go through the net for Lincoln, was met with great appreciation. The crowd was amazing and the girls truly felt the support.
 

When asked about the energy inside the gym, the Lady Railers who took the court each gave great answers as they worked their fundraising dinner on Sunday. Gathered around pork chops, corn and potatoes, they each gave great answers.

Tori Geriets jumped in with the first response, in between bites of a pork chop, and her answer left her teammates cracking up and chances are she’s going to be kidded about it the rest of her life. Geriets began with the word “Fantastic!” She added, “I feel like when all those people come out it gives us a lot more energy and I feel like I can jump higher.” Froebe, Stoltzenburg, Bowman and Whiteman were gathered around her and they busted out laughing. Geriets laughed too, and defended her answer with a huge smile. “I’m serious,” she said. “Like going for a layup and whoop!” And she kinda starts to leap off the floor of the K of C Club. “Literally,” she says, as the other girls continue to giggle at the thought of T.G. flying through the gym. “Bye, guys,” adds Geriets, laughing nonstop.

Lots of comments were heard in the midst of the laughter but Taryn Stoltzenburg gained her composure first and she answered the question without missing a beat, “It was really fun having a crowd to feed off of and like, yea, I was floating.”

“We were all floating,” said Geriets, again laughing.

With everyone still laughing in the room, it was Jenna Bowman’s turn to answer. “I liked when the former players all started cheering and it really made me feel the support and I liked it. That was nice.”

Jan Bowers, by the way, did a marvelous job of gathering former Lady Railers and former coaches for Saturday’s game and they without a doubt got the crowd started with the cheers.

Next up, Piper Whiteman. “It’s just so nice to see our community supporting us," said Whiteman. "And to see all the students and all the former players supporting us. We feed off the energy and it was definitely more of a home court advantage with all of our community out there supporting us.”

Kloe Froebe, who had not stopped giggling and flashing those dimples, gathered her composure and gave a marvelous answer, too. “I thought it was amazing and just to see the pride and the support that we are reinstalling into the community and the alumni that are coming. The whole Lincoln atmosphere in the gym was just crazy and really nice to just be able to feed off of. It was just a great experience and I hope that we can continue that this season and even onto the next. Really that’s our goal, just to make a change in women’s sports in the area.”

Let’s read that AGAIN: “Really that’s our goal, just to make a change in women’s sports in the area.”
 

What a goal! Talk about mature young people who are already conscientious about the impact they want to leave for the next generation. They are making a positive change in so many ways.

“And it’s nice to be able to be a part of that change and see how it’s been evolving over the years,” explained Froebe. “It’s really awesome. You can see the beginning of the shift when my sister (Kaelyn) was playing, you know, when they made it to that super-sectional game and you could see all the support. It was still there but it was down a couple years, just because of Covid and everything, and now it’s reviving and it’s really cool to see how it’s growing.”

There was a brief pause in the interview as Geriets stepped away to get a drink of water, but her return was met with more teasing again. The word “levitating” entered the conversation one more time and that brought up an important subject real quick.

Music.

In fact, before it was all said and done, manager Ryan Fruge aka “Music Man” was assigned the job of adding Dua Lipa’s song “Levitating” to the Lady Railers playlist. He happily agreed. He had no voice in the matter really.

Check it out. Honestly cannot wait to hear it blaring through the loud speakers of Roy S. Anderson.

One more topic had to be discussed and that was the big moment of the game versus Peoria. Not to take away from anything that anybody did on Saturday, but there was indeed a turning point in the game. Every girl agreed, the three from Taryn Stoltzenburg was a pivotal moment and the gym really exploded when she hit that shot.

Froebe even said, “When I passed her that ball, I knew it was going in. At that moment when the ball went through the net and I heard the crowd erupt, I knew that we were not losing this game. We had the crowd on our side and that was a big shift, I feel like, in the game. Like you said, if she missed that shot, it could’ve been a whole different ball game. I knew she was able to capitalize on it and after that I felt like the ballgame was in our hands.”
 

Whiteman added, “I feel like after she made that shot, the energy after she made it really fed our defense. And I’m pretty sure we got a couple possessions. Like we changed our defense into our offense.”

The story is not complete without mentioning a few more things.

First, freshman Mia Clark came off the bench and as she’s done all season, she did not hesitate to make an impact. Late in the first quarter she entered the game and hit a three. Let’s hear her teammate’s reaction to her impact.

“I thought it was like a really good spark for us,” said Whiteman. “It brought in more energy on the court.”

“The crowd erupted on that three and just seeing a freshman step up like that is really empowering for us knowing that whenever we leave, the program is in good hands,” said Froebe.

Mia Clark was one of three Lady Railers to have a three against Peoria and it was huge.

“It was exciting,” said Clark. “The crowd, like when I made it, I was like, ‘oh my gosh’ because then it made me more motivated. The crowd was really good. It was the most I’d ever seen, like even at a boy’s game, it was better than that.”

All of the freshmen did a great job in the JV game versus Peoria in fact, and it was really fun to hear the Varsity give them the credit they so deserve.

“I think that really set the tone for the Varsity game,” said Whiteman. “They set the tone for sure.”

Second, if you walked into the school on Saturday afternoon, you may have noticed Becca Heitzig sitting at a table selling raffle tickets for the junior class prom. Heitzig is injured and fans are eagerly awaiting her return in February. When not selling raffle tickets at future games, she will be seated on the bench, encouraging, coaching and cheering on her teammates. She was noticeably absent on Sunday, but she had a great reason to be gone. Heitzig was on another college visit as she is highly sought after in the track world. So we will hear her thoughts on the season and her perspective from the front row in a future article.

Finally, the 24-0 Lady Railers truly are grateful for the support they have received.

“We just want to really thank Railer Nation and thank the alumni for coming out and supporting us,” said Froebe. “They really helped us and we couldn’t have won that game without them. And we’re just going to ask for their support the rest of the season and hope for the best.”
 

And folks, it’s time to believe the hype. What started out as a simple random quote on a sweatshirt to start the season has surely developed into something more. These girls have been playing together a long time. They are friends. They are like family. They are having fun.

It’s a great ride to be on with these ladies and there is so much they are teaching those around them.

Now take a look at the impressive JV team’s win on Saturday. They continued their remarkable season and improved their record to 14-0.

The Lady Railers JV team crushed Peoria 76-17.

In fact, after the first quarter the score was 28-0 in Lincoln’s favor.

By halftime Coach Cory Farmer had his squad on top 45-9.

The third quarter was ugly for the Lions, too, as Lincoln kept punishing them to the score of 66-11.

Finally, the game ended with Lincoln picking up the impressive 76-17 win.

Four Lady Railers hit double-figures: Makinley Knapp (17), Ceana Adams (16), Lily Holmes (14) and Mesa McCloud (13).

The Lady Railers have some time off this week. Their next game will be on Saturday, January 28th at home against Charleston. The JV game will tip-off at 1 p.m. and the Varsity will start at 2:30 p.m.

Another huge crowd would be welcomed!

Note: The game versus Taylorville that was set for Thursday night has been rescheduled for Tuesday, February 7, 2023.

Varsity scoring

Lincoln 48
Froebe 28
Bowman 5
Whiteman 5
Geriets 4
Stoltzenburg 3
Clark 3

Peoria 41
Guyton 26
Rutherford 9
Craig-Edwards 4
Jackson 2

JV scoring

Lincoln 76
Knapp 17
Adams 16
Holmes 14
McCloud 13
Clark 8
Schneider 6
Luckhart 2

Peoria 17
Patrick 8
Colley 6
Jackson 3

[Teena Lowery]