High School Girls Basketball
Lady Railers start season 2-0 in the Morton Tournament

 

[November 24, 2023] 

The Lady Railers Varsity basketball team was on the court for the first time in the 2023-24 season on Friday at the 14th Annual Morton Thanksgiving Tournament.

Lincoln took care of Peoria Richwoods 71-53 in the morning session of the tournament. Kloe Froebe lit up the scoreboard for 34 points while Becca Heitzig added 16 points.

In the afternoon session, Lincoln pounded Champaign Central 88-19. The starters played into the third quarter, with Froebe leading the team in scoring with 21 points. Heitzig tossed in 10 points.

The Lincoln bench really kept the pressure on the ball and kept pouring in the points in the second half, as three subs hit double-figures. Piper Whiteman, always the first player to enter the game off the bench for Lincoln, scored 12 points. Makinley Knapp also scored 12 points. And last but not least, it was Mia Clark leading the team with three 3s and a trio of field goals for 15 points.

Game one

Kloe Froebe’s layup twenty seconds into the game versus Peoria Richwoods at the Potterdome gave Lincoln a 2-0 lead. After Taryn Stoltzenburg and Jenna Bowman connected for quick threes, the Lincoln lead was 8-0 and the Lady Knights coach was quick to call a timeout. Peoria Richwoods got on the board following the timeout and cut the deficit to 8-2. Over the next few minutes of action, the Lady Railers scored on three free throws while the Lady Knights’ Kamryn Heider sank three 3s and a field goal to take over the lead, 13-11 the score. It would take a three from Jenna Bowman to put Lincoln back on top 14-13. Heider put the Lady Knights back in front with two free throws and that would be their last lead of the game. Froebe put Lincoln on top 16-15 and this was just the beginning of an 11-0 run. Tori Geriets scored her first points of the season off the offensive rebound and then after a Froebe steal and the dish to Heitzig for the bucket, the Lady Railers were up 20-15. Heitzig, Whiteman and Froebe finished the scoring in the first quarter and the Lady Railers were up by double-digits, 25-15 the score.

Froebe poured in eleven points in the second quarter, including her first three of the season, and with Heitzig tossing in four points and Whiteman adding a bucket, the Lady Railers kept the Lady Knights in check with a 42-23 lead at the half.

Froebe dropped ten more points in the third quarter and with Heitzig good for four more points, Lincoln was in command with a 56-38 lead at the end of the third quarter.

Stoltzenburg and Geriets added threes in the final quarter and with Froebe scoring five free throws and Heitzig consistent with her four points, Lincoln breezed through the fourth quarter and won by a final score of 71-53.

Game two

Champaign Central took a 2-0 lead over Lincoln in the afternoon game and that was all the Maroons would have to brag about. Lincoln raced out to a 22-4 lead after the first quarter, with Kloe Froebe pouring in 14 points.

Froebe led the way with seven points in the second quarter and Lincoln was up 41-10 at the half.

Coach Taylor Rohrer gave her starters a rest for much of the second half and the bench really stepped up and played outstanding.

In the third quarter, Piper Whiteman poured in nine points to lead Lincoln. Mia Clark came in and hit a three immediately and then two field goals. Mesa McCloud also made a three and a field goal. Grace Schneider sank a basket and with Heitzig and Bowman hitting shots before they exited the game, Lincoln was able to dominate the game 70-14 after three quarters of play.

Clark added two more 3s in the fourth quarter and she added a field goal to bring her game total to 15 points. After Makinley Knapp made four field goals in the final quarter, that brought her total to 12 points on the afternoon. Lily Holmes added a bucket to round out the scoring and Lincoln cruised to the 88-19 victory.

The Lady Railers take their 2-0 record back to Morton today as they prepare to take on East St. Louis at 1:30 p.m. and Morton at 5:00 p.m.

Scoring vs. Peoria Richwoods

Lincoln 71

Froebe 34
Heitzig 16
Stoltzenburg 6
Bowman 6
Geriets 5
Whiteman 4

Peoria Richwoods 53

Heider 27
Sprattling 5
Alanna Ross 5
Hickman 4
Harris 4
Barber 3
Alyssa Ross 3
Lee 2

Scoring vs. Champaign Central

Lincoln 88

Froebe 21
Clark 15
Whiteman 12
Knapp 12
Heitzig 10
McCloud 5
Bowman 4
Geriets 3
Stoltzenburg 2
Holmes 2
Schneider 2

Champaign Central 19

Robinson 6
Parks 4
McArthur 3
Parastaran 2
Bandy 2
Kloeppel 2

[Teena Lowery]