LCHS Boys Basketball Team holds “Meet the Railers” scrimmage

 

[November 17, 2023]  Lincoln – According to LCHS head boys basketball coach Neil Alexander, the Railer boys basketball program is behind the curve in comparison to where his team’s typically are in their development at this point in the season.

While that might be a concern for many coaches, Alexander sounded anything but concerned when explaining his team’s status following Meet the Railers night for the boys basketball program, held Thursday in Roy S. Anderson Gymnasium.

“We’re behind, and for a good reason,” he said. “With girls’ volleyball doing what they did [making it to the IHSA state championship], we had to cut some practices and so forth. But that was a good thing, and we’ll catch up. The kids are good, they understand the system, and they work hard. They’re really working hard, and when the kids work hard, you’ve got a chance.”

The evening was standard fare for preseason public scrimmages of high school teams, with underclassmen and varsity players each having a chance to play. The LCHS dance team and cheerleading squads also performed.

While the event has the additional element of participants playing in front of a crowd of spectators, Alexander said that, from a coaching standard, such events are more of an exhibition rather than any kind of reliable barometer by which the coaching staff can measure the team and its development.

“They’ve played each other for the last two weeks,” he said. “It’s just basically an opportunity for the kids to be out in front of the public and for the public to see the kids. It’s hard to execute anything when you call out a set, because both sides are running the same sets, even with the defensive side.”

While the success of the Lady Railer volleyball team impacted his team’s schedule and progress as it prepares for the season, Alexander said the success of the LCHS football program in making the playoffs has not impeded the team at all.

“They were done before we started practice,” he said. “Any sport you play, when you go to the next one, the conditioning is totally different. Everybody’s out of shape, and we’re trying to get them in basketball shape. We’ve got three days that we’re really going to have to push things.”

According to senior basketball player Ki’on Carson--who earlier this week was named offensive most valuable player for the Railer football team—while the exertion in basketball is more strenuous, he said those who have made the switch from football season to basketball season this year are handling it well.

“It’s a little different than football, obviously with different movements and different breaks,” said Carson, who was selected to the Class 4A Illinois High School Coaches Association all-state team for football this year. “Honestly, practices are a lot harder than football, but that just comes with playing for Coach Al. In football, I can maybe take a 30-second break, but with basketball, it’s just ‘go go go’ and constantly moving, constantly sliding, constantly shooting, passing, dribbling…it’s a lot.”

The Railers open their season at home on November 20 when they take on Cahokia at 7:30 PM in Lincoln’s opening game in the Eaton Electrical Thanksgiving Tournament. The contest will be the first of four games for Lincoln in the tournament that week, the final game happening on November 25. The Railers will then wait a week until their next contest when they travel to Springfield to take on Sacred Heart-Griffin on December 2 in Lincoln’s first conference game in returning to the Central State 8.

Carson said that, despite shortened practice time this year, the chemistry of the Railer team will be a major advantage in helping Lincoln this season.

“I think the CS8 definitely needs to be ready for us this year,” he said. “All of us have been playing together for a long time now. We have good chemistry, and we have a lot of weapons. We’re not going to be like, ‘This kid’s going to score 30 every night, so that’s the only kid you have to guard.’ We’re going to have kids everywhere, even kids coming off the bench, who could potentially have three or four 3’s a game and score 12 or 15 points.”

Alexander said moving from the Apollo Conference back to the Central State 8 will be a welcome change this season.

“We’re excited about it,” he said of the change of conferences. “We’re excited about the rivalries. And I don’t have to get on a bus for two hours.”

With the new season comes a rule change in regard to fouls and free throw “bonus” situations. Starting this season, with the fifth foul during a quarter, the opposing team will be awarded two free throws as the bonus; the foul total is reset at the end of each quarter.

Previously, teams moved into the bonus with the seventh team foul in one half, and the opposing team was awarded a one-and-one.
 

According to the IHSA web site, the rationale for the change is that the change will Improve flow of play by providing an opportunity for teams to adjust their play as the foul totals will not carry over from Quarters 1 and 3 to Quarters 2 and 4. In addition, the change will “significantly [reduce] the opportunity for correctable errors to occur” and “minimizes risk of injury by eliminating the one-and-one and reducing opportunities for rough play during rebounding opportunities.”

Use of the 35-second shot clock will be allowed in tournaments and shootout again this season after its inaugural use in the same settings last year. The shot clock was used during Thursday’s Meet the Railers night and also will be used during the Eaton Electrical Thanksgiving Tournament in Lincoln.

After the shot clock was adopted for limited use last season, Alexander said he initially was not in favor it. However, after Lincoln played some games during which the shot clock was utilized, he said his opinion changed and he liked it. As a result, he is taking a “wait and see” attitude on the rule change regarding the free throw “bonus” situation.

“I like it,” he said of use of the shot clock. “We’ll see how it [the free throw bonus rule change] goes.”

Players in the Railer basketball program this season include:

• Seniors: Kani Carson, Ki'on Carson, Aidan Gowin and Trey Schilling.

• Juniors: Drew Hayes, Blake Horn, Kade Huskins, Brady Miller, Frank Sanders and Gabe Smith.

• Sophomores: Landon Carrillo, Ryan Gowin, Karson Komnick, Sampson Kurka, Preston Short, Owen Thomas and Brody Tungate.

• Freshmen: Tate Aue, Kaniela Carvalho, Hunter Clark, Colin Crombie, Braxton Eilertson, Brett Hayes, Adler King, Carson McConnell, Max Rohlfs, Preston Short and Bryce Vlahovich.

Coaches include head coach Neil Alexander and assistants Gregg Alexander, Zach Damm, Eric Ewald, Brandon Farmer, Josh McClallen and Gary Rademaker.

Student assistants include Joseph Dahmm, Brenden Wurth, Talon Horton and Reece Entwistle.

Basketball cheerleaders include:

• Seniors: Abbie Arnold, Izzy Bree-Elmore, Izzy McFadden and Ella Singleton.

• Juniors: Emma Baker, Kendal Long, Ally Meagher, Maggie Nemeth, Ivy Sandel, Blair Walker and Jessa Werner.

• Sophomores: Jada Bree, Addie Farmer, Brenley Bruns, Kyli Lund, Chloe McFadden, Lexie Meredith and Sophie Morgan.

• Freshmen: Ellie Lowe-Prather, Kyra Schriber and Bailey Tungate.
Cheer coaches include head coach Anna Conrady and student assistants Lauren Ewins and Ines Otero.

Dance team members include:

Seniors: Claire Duffer and Brynley Laubenstein.

Junior: Emma Menzel.

Sophomores: Sarah Dahmm, Hattie Roland, Ciara Senters, Mckinlee Stoltzenburg and Kaylee Thomas.

Freshmen Ryann Lile and Isabella Pollice.

Dance team head coach is Emily Martinez.

[Loyd Kirby]