Railer boys basketball team earns
4th straight victory with 43-30 win over Mattoon
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 [February 01, 2025]
MATTOON – As of late, the modus operandi for the Lincoln boys
basketball team has been to build a lead by halftime, and then allow
it to wilt away in the third quarter to make for a closely-contested
game down the stretch.
Friday night’s game in Mattoon didn’t totally flip the script, but
it was a step in the right direction as Lincoln beat former Apollo
Conference foe Mattoon, 43-30.
Lincoln led 10-7 after one quarter and 19-13 at halftime. But
Mattoon pecked away at the Railer advantage, and after Chandler Rice
hit a short jumper in the lane for the Green Wave a few minutes into
the third quarter, the score stood knotted at 24-all.
Karson Komnick
If Lincoln was to follow the pattern of the past few games, this
would be the point where the offense goes cold, the opposition finds
gaps in the defense and Lincoln finds itself in a struggle. But on
this night, the Railsplitters instead showed more resilience as they
extended their lead. Karson Komnick drained a trey and followed that
up with a free throw. Blake Horn made a strong drive down the lane
to hit a left-handed layup. Komnick picked up a loose ball and took
it to the hoop for two more points. The Railers ran off 10
consecutive points, going on a 14-1 run to extend their lead to
double digits. Lincoln outscored Mattoon 15-6 in the fourth period.
“We really wanted to win the fourth quarter,” said Lincoln coach
Neil Alexander after the game. “The fourth quarter has been our
downfall, but tonight we did a much better job.”
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Frank Sanders
With their fourth consecutive victory, Lincoln moves to 14-8 overall
on the season. The Railers were led by Komnick’s 20 points. Frank
Sanders added eight points, Gabe Smith scored six, Drew Hayes
tallied five and Horn and Brady Miller had two points apiece.
Mattoon drops to 6-17 on the season. The Green Wave was led by Cole
Larson with nine points.
“They’re a scary team,” Lincoln coach Neil Alexander said of Mattoon
after the game. “I think they’ve only won six games, but they’ve got
a lot of sophomores and even a freshman out there; I think the
future is really bright for them.
“They put us in situations that no other team has put us in. We
struggled a little bit at times, but we were able to overcome it.”
Lincoln benefited from having nearly its full rotation of players
available for the contest. Komnick, Hayes and Sanders continue to
log more time on the court as they work their way back from
injuries. Having a nearly-full complement of players allowed
Alexander to be more intentional with lineups he puts on the court
in certain situations—such as using a taller lineup if there’s a
height advantage, or a quicker lineup when working against an
effective pressure defense—rather than essentially being restricted
to simply use whoever was healthy.
Brody Tungate, who had been playing well in recent games, was
unavailable due to a deep bruise that continues to hamper his
movement.
Lincoln hosts Taylorville--another former Apollo opponent—in a 7 PM
game on February 1. The Railers then have a five-day break from game
action before—thanks to rescheduled/makeup games--playing five
contests in six days. Lincoln has a February 6 makeup game at home
against Glenwood before travelling to Eisenhower on February 7 and
Lanphier February 8. The Railers then host Bloomington on February
10 in a makeup game before trekking to Sacred Heart-Griffin for a
February 11 tilt.
[Loyd Kirby]
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