Strong start, consistent effort lead Railers to 55-27 senior night win over Champaign Central

 

[February 19, 2024]  LINCOLN – Railer boys basketball coach has said he prefers that his team not have a lapse of inactivity in its season schedule just before the postseason. To avoid a layoff of almost two weeks between the Railers’ final Central State 8 Conference game on February 9 against MacArthur and Lincoln’s opening postseason game February 21, LCHS faced a pair of nonconference opponents in the interim. While the success of the coach’s philosophy of keeping his team active on the court may not be quantifiable, there’s no arguing that Lincoln has gotten a pair of solid efforts in the two games, the most recent of which being a 55-27 victory over Champaign Central on Friday night in the Railers’ regular-season finale.

“We took care of things,” Alexander said after the game, a contest in which his team never trailed. “We got some points off our turnovers, and that’s what you need to do. We shot the ball pretty well. We were a little short-handed tonight with Drew [Hayes] not being up to par.”

Hayes, a 6-foot-5 junior, saw limited time on the court as he was fighting an illness. Alexander chose to juggle his lineup and start 6-foot senior Aidan Gowin in place of Hayes. The move paid dividends on both ends of the court, as Gowin scored 10 points and brought relentless pressure to the point of the Lincoln zone defense, obstructing passing lanes and pressuring ballhandlers into rushing passes or mishandling the ball.

Aidan Gowin

“He’s really played well the last six weeks, and I’m really happy for him,” Alexander said of Gowin. “He makes things happen defensively for us.”

Gowin, one of four LCHS players recognized on senior night, earned praise from his coach for his even-keeled demeanor throughout his time in the Railer program.

“To me, Aidan Gowin is a true, true, true Railer,” Alexander said. “He started his sophomore year in all games. He started his junior year and then was on the bench. His senior year, he started early, went to the bench and has come back.

“You talk about a perfect, perfect teammate; you haven’t heard a word out of him. The only thing you get is what you see on the floor and the effort he puts forth.”

As the season has progressed, Alexander has expressed concern at different times about different aspects of the Railers’ collective performance. Among some of the items, he’s mentioned how he’d like to see his team have more intensity, especially to begin the game and the second half. He’s lamented about his team’s performance at the free throw line. He’s said he would like to see Lincoln’s rebounding improve.

While one week does not a season make, it has appeared Lincoln has made progress in these areas this week.

In the initial intensity department, the Railers raced out to a 13-0 lead over Champaign and held the Maroons to the fourth-fewest point total Lincoln has allowed in a game all season.

From the charity stripe, Lincoln has hit 12 of 14 free throw attempts (85.7 percent) in its last two games.

The Railers won the battle of the boards against Champaign, snaring 23 rebounds compared to 18 by the Maroons.

In addition, the Railers showed resilience in keeping Champaign out of the contest once Lincoln had built a sizable lead. LCHS led 21-6 at the end of the first quarter, and the Railers extended their lead by scoring the first 6 points of the second period. Champaign got 3-pointers from Luke Swanson and Chris Bush to close the gap to 27-12. But on the next Railer possession, Brady Miller found Frank Sanders for a layup, scoring 2 of his game-high 20 points and quelling the Champaign rally. The teams traded baskets before the end of the quarter, giving the Railers a 31-14 halftime advantage.

Frank Sanders

Coach Neil Alexander

Swanson hit another trey for Champaign to pull the Maroons to within 14 points at 31-17, but that was the closest Champaign would get for the remainder of the night. Gowin and Trey Schilling scored the next 5 points for the Railers, as Lincoln led 43-22 at the end of the third period en route to a 28-point final margin of victory.

In addition to 20 points from Sanders, Lincoln got 13 from Gowin and 10 from Schilling. Bush was the lone Maroon in double figures with 14.

In addition to mentioning Gowin, Alexander said that all the senior players have had an impact on the success of the team during their time playing for Lincoln.

Ki'on Carson

“Ki’on’s as quick as I’ve ever coached,” Alexander said of Ki’on Carson. “When he gets going, sometimes can’t stay on his feet because his feet go right out from under him, he’s so quick.”

Ki’on’s twin brother, Kani, may not have logged as much playing time as his brother, but Alexander said the impact of Kani has been significant.

Kani Carson

“He’s been in a tough situation here, because he’s behind a lot of wings,” Alexander said of Kani. “He wrestled his junior year and he was pretty darn good at it. He wanted to play basketball because he missed it.

“He’s helped us so much in our practices. The reason we’ve won 22 games is because of him and the guys that helped us prepare.”

The final senior, Trey Schilling, earned praise from the Railer head coach for his dependability throughout the year.

Trey Schilling

“He’s probably the most consistent player we’ve had throughout the season,” Alexander said of Schilling, who committed to play baseball at Illinois Wesleyan University.

The win improves Lincoln’s record to 22-9. The Railers open play in the Lanphier regional on Wednesday, Feb. 21 at 6 PM against the winner of the Feb. 19 Sacred Heart-Griffin/Springfield game.

[Loyd Kirby]