Lady Railers hand Southeast first loss of the season

 

[December 18, 2024]  The Lady Railers hosted an undefeated Southeast Spartans team on Tuesday night at Roy S. Anderson and it was Lincoln pulling off the gutsy win by a final score of 43-37.

Both teams battled hard against each other every second of the game and Lincoln was determined from the tip-off to get the win on their home court. From the starters to the subs, Lincoln showed great resilience. 

The Lady Railers never trailed by more than three points in the game and they hung right with the 11-0 speedy Spartans, coast to coast, for 32 intense minutes of basketball. 

It was a great atmosphere inside the gym for the Central State Eight Conference matchup. The LCHS Pep Band sounded great, playing from the upper level bleachers, getting the crowd pumped up. After the 2024-25 Lady Railer hype video played on the video screen, the girls themselves were definitely ready to hit the court.

Knapp, Clark, McCloud, Holmes and Schneider took the court as starters and with Southeast winning the tip, the two teams were off and running.

First quarter

Southeast scored the first basket of the game eight seconds after the tip and then Lincoln went on a scoring run. Makinley Knapp put the first two points in for Lincoln off the offensive board. Then it was Mia Clark draining a three off the inbounds play to put Lincoln up 5-2. A little over a minute later, Clark was itching to shoot a three again and she delivered, leaving Lincoln with an 8-2 lead. The Spartans chipped away at the lead and after a basket by Naveahua Collier, the score flashed 8-6. Clark answered the call with yet another three, her third in a row and the lead was stretched to 11-6. In the last three minutes of the quarter there were seven fouls committed by the two teams and just two free throws shot and made by the Spartans. The first quarter had Lincoln holding on to an 11-8 lead.

Second quarter

Eight seconds into the second quarter, Lily Holmes sank a free throw for Lincoln and while this might not seem like a big deal, it was. Collier, the 5’7 sophomore who would lead Southeast in scoring, put her team in front 13-12 after back-to-back baskets, the latter being a three. The two teams traded one-point leads with Clark and Knapp providing the scoring for Lincoln. With under a minute to play the Spartans went ahead with that three-point lead on a basket by Ja’Maria Rollen. Clark’s two free throws edged Lincoln closer and then with 8.4 seconds left Lincoln gained possession again and just when it looked like no one was going to get a shot off, Grey Gilbert was able to get a pass to Clark and she tossed it up for a bank shot that was good at the buzzer. Clark’s bucket gave Lincoln a 20-19 lead at the half and the crowd was ecstatic.

Third quarter

After trading baskets to start the quarter, Lincoln was able to capture a 24-21 lead on a basket by Knapp. Quickly after that exchange, Collier swished a long three for the tie. With both teams playing in-your-face defense all night long, Clark found a way to break loose for the coast-to-coast layup that tossed the lead back in Lincoln’s favor. Holmes would extend that lead on a nice move in the lane that started with a great pass from Knapp. But Collier would not let Lincoln get too far out in front. She shoots that ball with a high arch and it does not even come close to touching the rim. It just swishes through the net. Her latest three kept the Spartans close, 28-27 the score. With 10.5 seconds left in the quarter Grace Schneider got an opportunity at the free throw line and she calmly delivered. Her two shots allowed Lincoln a 30-27 third quarter lead.

Fourth quarter

Ceana Adams delivered the first big basket of the fourth quarter. Her corner three was huge, not only sending the student section into a frenzy but also giving Lincoln their biggest lead since the first quarter. With the 33-27 lead Lincoln definitely had the upper hand. It took Corrine Pickett all of seventeen seconds later to sink a three for Southeast and the crowd on both sides was buzzing with excitement. Knapp’s bank shot was good for a 35-30 lead but with Southeast’s perfect record on the line, they were not about to go down easily. Two quick buckets later and Lincoln’s lead was a slim 35-34. Two free throws from Knapp gave Lincoln a 37-34 cushion but with three minutes left to play, the ballgame was still up for grabs. 

Photo by Teena Lowery

With 2:41 on the clock the ladies successfully ran a play that even prompted scorekeeper Amanda Bowman to say, “That was beautifully executed.” Holmes cut through the lane, collected the pass from Clark and banked it in without getting mauled. All night long Holmes really took a beating in the paint, but give her all the credit in the world, she does not back down…..from anyone. 

With the Lincoln lead now 39-34, the Spartans had multiple opportunities and enough time to score, they just couldn’t get anything to fall. Lincoln controlled the ball for most of the final minute of play and as the time ticked down, Clark and Holmes each had one more trip to the free throw line. They both delivered. Clark was first with two perfect shots with 13.8 seconds remaining, then it was Holmes to the line with 4.9 seconds left in the game. 

By the time Holmes got to the line Lincoln was up 41-37 and if she could make these shots, the Lady Railers would undoubtedly have the victory signed, sealed and just about delivered. With Holmes having a rough night at the line, going 1-for-10 thus far, no one was betting on her to make these shots but there were plenty of people praying for her. This time she managed to swish both shots! A big applause followed and five seconds later the Spartans threw up one last attempt that failed. A bigger applause erupted in the gym as the Lady Railers jogged towards the bench with a 43-37 conference win over Southeast.

Each and every Lady Railer played her heart out in the win. It was truly a victory earned by everyone, no matter how big or how small their role. 

Mia Clark led Lincoln with 19 points while Makinley Knapp tossed in 12 points. 

Naveahua Collier led the Spartans with 22 points.

The Spartans fall to 11-1 on the season and 3-1 in the conference. 

Lincoln is now 4-4 on the season and 3-1 in the CS8. 

In the JV game Southeast edged Lincoln 58-53. 

Grey Gilbert led Lincoln with 19 points and Ella Schneider contributed 11 points. 

Lincoln’s next game is Friday night at home versus Rochester. The JV game is at 5:30 p.m. The Varsity game is at 7:00 p.m.

Thursday night's game with Champaign Centennial has been postponed and rescheduled for January 25, 2024.

Varsity scoring

Lincoln 43

Clark 19

Knapp 12

Holmes 7

Adams 3

Schneider 2

Southeast 37

Collier 22

Pickett 7

Crawford 2

Weston 2

Cooper 2

Rollen 2

JV scoring

Lincoln 53

Gilbert 19

Schneider 11

Eskra 9

Hutchison 8

Chen 5

Hinton 1

Southeast 58

White 17

Reese 13

Carter 10

S. Ankoor 7

L. Ankoor 6

T. Johnson 2

Francis 2

E. Johnson 1

[Teena Lowery]