BY FRED KRONER
fred@mahometnews.com
The Bulldogs scored the most second-half points Friday at Lincoln, but could not recover from a huge first-half deficit and suffered a 66-36 loss to the Railsplitters.
After intermission, M-S held a 23-20 edge in points scored. Lincoln limited the Bulldogs to six first-quarter points and carried a 46-13 lead into halftime.
M-S is 5-2 in Apollo Conference play and both losses have been to league-leading Lincoln.
Luke Koller scored eight points on Friday and was the top M-S scorer. Kobe Essien tallied six points. Teammates finishing with five points apiece were Braden Finch and Cole Lener.
Koller scored six of his points in the first half.
“We were down 20-6 after the first quarter and the game slowly grew from there,” M-S coach Ryan Bosch said. “We were able to get some good shots, but we had missed opportunities and too many unforced turnovers to survive a three-point barrage from Lincoln early.”
The Railsplitters hit nine three-pointers in the first half, “many after long stretches of good defense, and we were unable to recover in the second half,” Bosch added.
Lener pulled down five rebounds to go with four assists.
Finch and Grant Coleman each handled four rebounds. Nic Liagridonis handed out two assists.
On Saturday, Coleman eclipsed the 1,300-point mark for his career as the Bulldogs bounced back with a 59-27 win over visiting Rantoul.
M-S led 42-19 at halftime and allowed just eight second-half points.
“I was pleased overall with our response to a tough defeat to Lincoln on Friday night,” Bosch said. “We came out and took a 23-12 lead in the first quarter.”
Coleman hit a game-high 24 points, pushing his varsity career total to 1,306. Lener added 10 points.
“We were trading baskets in the third quarter for stretches against Rantoul’s zone so we pulled all of our starters,” Bosch said. “But after they got put back in, we went on a 13-0 run to end the game and were able to work all of our bench.
“I was really pleased with the resilience to bounce back after the loss and to end 2-1 on the week.”
M-S (12-10) returns to action on Tuesday at Normal Community.
