Red-hot Railers too much for
Southeast in 64-20 postseason-opening win
[February 27, 2025]
SPRINGFIELD – The Railer boys basketball team lived up to the hype
of earning a No. 1 seed in regional tournament play, holding
Southeast scoreless in two of the four quarters of Lincoln’s 64-20
win Wednesday night at Southeast High School.
With the victory, Lincoln will face No. 7-seeded Taylorville, which
upset No. 4 seed Rochester 40-37 on a last-second steal and
buzzer-beating halfcourt shot.
Things began slowly for the Railers, as Lincoln turned the ball over
on its first possession and then missed a field goal on its second
trip down the court. The third time proved to be a charm, however,
as Karson Komnick hit Drew Hayes on an alley-oop play to open the
scoring. Southeast regained the lead on a three-pointer by Kamryn
Adams before Lincoln got consecutive treys by Komnick and Hayes to
open up an 8-3 advantage. Southeast field goals by Josiah Turner and
Aaron Holman pulled the Spartans to within a point, but the Railers
outscored Southeast 7-3 in the remainder of the period to hold a
15-10 lead heading into the second quarter.
Drew Hayes
“We started a little slow in the beginning,” said Lincoln head coach
Neil Alexander. “But we picked it up and we got a little ball
movement inside and out, and those are the best shots on the
three-point arc when you pass it inside and kick it out to a shooter
stepping right into it.”
And the Railers did indeed pick it up in the second quarter. Lincoln
tallied 22 points in the quarter while holding Southeast scoreless
in the period. Keying the offensive explosion were five
three-pointers by Lincoln, including two from Komnick and one each
from Blake Horn, Brody Tungate and Hayes. The Spartans did little to
help themselves in the quarter, committing six turnovers as the
Railers amassed a 37-10 halftime lead.
In the first half, Lincoln shot 44.8 percent (13 of 29) from the
field overall, including 8 of 17 (47.1 percent) on three pointers.
The Spartans tried to turn up the defensive pressure in the third
quarter, slowing Lincoln down a bit temporarily. But the Railers
outscored Southeast 15-10 in the third frame to make the score 52-20
heading into the final period. The 30-plus point lead meant a
running clock in the final stanza, and the Railers again shut out
Southeast in the period by a count of 12-0 to make the final score
64-20.
The Railers tied their season low for points allowed by an opponent.
Lincoln held Prairie Central to 20 points when the Railers hosts the
Hawks on February 18 on senior night.
[to top of second column] |
Much has been written and said about Lincoln’s numerous injuries
throughout the season and the fact that the team hasn’t had its full
complement of players the majority of the year. As of late, however,
the Lincoln players had healed enough that Coach Alexander had a
full bench for most of the final stretch of the season. Such was not
the case Wednesday night, as Brady Miller was unable to play due to
injury.
“It’s been a tough year for injuries and sickness and the whole ball
of wax,” Alexander said. “Our kids have stuck together, and the kids
that have had to step up have really done a nice job.
“I thought, going into the year, if we’d have stayed healthy, we’d
have had a very solid year,” Alexander said. “Considering what’s
taken place, I think our kids have had an outstanding year.”
Karson Komnick
Komnick led all players with 22 points, hitting 8 of 15 field goal
attempts overall, including 5 of 9 three point attempts. Hayes also
scored in double-figures for the Railers with 10 points. Blake Horn
added 8, Tungate tallied 7, Gabe Smith notched 6 and Frank Sanders
scored 5. Preston Short, Justin Aue and Ayden Ferguson scored 2
points apiece for the Railers.
Southeast was led by Aaron Holman with 9 points.
The regional championship game between Lincoln and Taylorville tips
off at 7 PM Friday at Southeast High School. The winner of that game
moves on to play March 5 in the Decatur Eisenhower sectional
semifinal against the winner of the Mt. Zion regional.
“Hopefully we’ll see everyone come out,” Alexander said of the game
this Friday against Taylorville. “That’s going to really help us
out.”
[Loyd Kirby]
|
