Lady Railers annihilate Chargers 89-26

 

[January 27, 2025]  That’s four wins in a row for the Lincoln Lady Railers basketball team!

On Saturday afternoon Lincoln disposed of the Champaign Centennial Chargers 89-26 at Roy S. Anderson Gymnasium.

Four Lady Railers reached double-figures in the smackdown of the Chargers.

Lily Holmes came off the bench and led Lincoln with 19 points. Mia Clark was hot from the tip-off and she poured in 18 points. Piper Whiteman got the start and she dumped in 12 points. Makinley Knapp continues to play exceptional basketball at both ends of the court and she tallied 10 points.

First quarter
Mia Clark had that “gimme the ball, I’m feeling it today” mentality from the first touch and she made sure her team took a statement lead to start the game. Clark poured in eleven quick points in a matter of a few minutes. It was so quick that her grandpa, Don McLaughlin, didn’t even have a chance to get a seat on the bleachers. Not to call him out, but he was headed to McDonald’s to get a sandwich at 1:00 p.m. because he thought the game started much later. Luckily for him, his daughter called to remind him of the earlier start time and Mia would continue to put on a shooting clinic for the younger fans in attendance, ending with 16 first quarter points.

At any rate, Piper Whiteman dropped a baseline bucket to go with Clark’s first eleven points and the Lady Railers were up 13-2 early. After Whiteman’s free throw and Knapp’s layup, Lincoln was cruising 16-2. As Clark went coast-to-coast on a layup and made it a three-point play, Lincoln was up 19-2.

Lily Holmes was quick to enter the game and the scoring column with a couple baskets and a free throw. She also earned herself two fast fouls, which is not exactly uncommon, but with her team in the lead 24-2 those fouls were just a few misunderstandings on behalf of the refs really.

Clark and Knapp ended the quarter scoring and with the Chargers going six minutes without a bucket, the Lincoln lead was written in the books, 28-2.

Second quarter
Lincoln achieved similar success in the second quarter. The offense was outstanding and Lincoln’s ball movement was spectacular. Holmes didn’t waste a second scoring and her five points stretched the lead, 32-2 the score. Before the Chargers hit the scoring column again, the Lincoln lead was 36-2. At one point the Chargers had reason to cheer with the score 40-8. Seriously, they were inching closer to double-digits as a team and that was a reason to be happy. But with Mesa McCloud and Holmes hitting 3s and Grace Schneider and Knapp scoring, the 10-0 run was complete and Lincoln was demolishing Centennial 50-8. When the misery was temporarily over for the Chargers, Lincoln led 54-13. Two new Lincoln scorers entered the scorebook near the end of the half, Rebecca Burge and Emma Hutchison.

Holmes had a monster first half, dropping 18 points on the Chargers. Wow!

Third quarter
Clark hit the first bucket of the third quarter and Whiteman went on a quick tear, pouring in seven points. Soon the lead eclipsed the 50-point margin. With Knapp and Schneider sinking baskets, the score grew to a whopping 67-17. As the starters took a seat and the subs entered the game, the scoring didn’t stop. These girls wanted to play and they did. Elizabeth Chen got her first Varsity points and she really stood out, playing remarkable for a freshman. Chen might’ve missed a three at the buzzer, but she still has plenty more opportunities in the future to make those shots. The two baskets she did make prior to the quarter ending put Lincoln up 74-23 and that was more than a satisfactory lead.

Fourth quarter
The subs were entertaining in the fourth quarter, too. Hutchison, a 5’4 sophomore, can shoot lights out and she made the first three of the quarter and also hit a short jumper. At 6’0 Burge was having a good day in the lane, scoring and pulling down rebounds and she was perfect on the afternoon from the free throw line. She added four points in the final quarter. Chen also added four points here. Chen is listed at 5’7 and she is definitely a ball handler. Last but not least, Grey Gilbert tossed in a bucket for Lincoln in the quarter. Gilbert is a sophomore who has been consistent all season long in JV games. With the bench contributing fifteen points in the final eight minutes, Lincoln’s clobber of the Chargers was complete, 89-26 the final score.

Lincoln improves to 12-9 on the season.

The Lincoln JV team won 51-40 over Centennial.

Maci Eskra led Lincoln with 17 points.

Emma Hutchison connected for five 3s, tallying 15 points.

Grey Gilbert had 10 points.

Lincoln will play at Springfield High School Tuesday night. The JV game will start at 5:30 p.m. The Varsity will tip-off at 7:00 p.m.

Varsity scoring
Lincoln 89

Holmes 19
Clark 18
Whiteman 12
Knapp 10
Chen 8
Hutchison 7
Burge 6
Schneider 4
McCloud 3
Gilbert 2

Centennial 26
Tanner 7
Horton 6
Campbell 4
Newbill 3
Ballentine 2
Day 2
Miller 2

JV scoring
Lincoln 51
Eskra 17
Hutchison 15
Gilbert 10
Hinton 5
Chen 4

Centennial 40
Campbell 12
Walton 10
Allen 9
Williams 4
Tanner 3
Bibb 2

[Teena Lowery]