Decatur MacArthur runs past Railers
56-38
[December 29, 2025]
COLLINSVILLE – The MacArthur Generals maintained their
undefeated record as three Generals scored in double figures as
MacArthur advanced in the winners’ bracket of the Collinsville
Prairie Farms Holiday Classic Tournament by defeating Lincoln 56-38.
Following his team’s first-round win over Granite City on Saturday
night, Railer head coach indicated he knew his squad would have its
hands full taking on its next opponent in the tournament, the
Generals of Decatur MacArthur.
Head Coach Neil Alexander
“I think they’re good enough to make a run at the state championship
later on,” Alexander said of MacArthur. “They’re deep. They’re
quick. They’re aggressive. They can shoot it. They’re great
athletes. Their defense makes things happen. It will be
interesting.”
The Generals had been averaging just under 74 points per game in
starting the season with a perfect 8-0 record. And while the Railer
defense held the Generals 18 points below their season average, the
Lincoln offense had trouble generating shots, especially in the
early part of the game.
Lincoln got on the scoreboard first when Karson Komnick hit a free
throw for a 1-0 Railer lead. But MacArthur went on an 8-0 run over
the next three-plus minutes of the period to take an 8-1 lead which
the Generals would never relinquish. The Railer offense couldn’t get
on track, and Lincoln did not make a field goal in the entire
quarter. MacArthur outscored the Railers 12-3 in the period, as
Lincoln could only generate three points of offense on three free
throws.
The Lincoln offense found its footing in the second period and cut
into the MacArthur lead. Lincoln pulled closer when the Railers
opened the period on an 8-2 run. Brody Tungate hit a field goal to
open the second quarter scoring, then Tate Aue sandwiched a pair of
three-pointers around a MacArthur field goal by Sean Lee to cut the
Generals’ lead to 14-11.
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Lee hit another field goal for the Generals before
Aue hit his third trey of the quarter to pull the Railers closer at
16-14. But MacArthur ended the period scoring five unanswered points
to give the Generals a 21-14 lead at halftime.
The third quarter unfolded with the teams basically trading baskets
as the lead hovered near a seven-point margin. Bryce Vlahovich hit a
big three-pointer for the Railers at about the 6:00 mark of the
period to cut the MacArthur lead to 25-16. Four minutes later,
Tungate scored on a drive to the basket to pull Lincoln to within
six points at 36-30.
MacArthur closed out the quarter on a 5-0 run, with the last points
for the Generals coming on a three-point field goal at the buzzer by
Tishawn Clemmens to push the MacArthur lead to 41-30 going into the
final period.
Clemmens opened the fourth quarter with another
three pointer to extend MacArthur’s lead to 44-30. A pair of free
throws by Komnick pulled Lincoln to within a dozen at 44-32, but
that’s as close as Lincoln got the rest of the game. The Generals
maintained a margin of 15 or more throughout the remainder of the
period, stretching the lead to 20 at one point. MacArthur defeated
Lincoln 56-38.
Alexander said the MacArthur scoring outburst to end the third
quarter and begin the final period was too much for the Railers to
overcome.
“They really work well, and they keep that constant
pressure on you,” he said. “We had a big play in the third quarter;
I think we were down six and we had a breakaway, and we ended up
getting it blocked. From that point on, it just went the wrong way.”
Tate Aue led Lincoln with 12 points. Brody Tungate added 10. For
MacArthur, Kenall Howell totaled 16 points, Clemmens scored 15 and
Sean Lee tallied 14.
The loss dropped the Railers to 10-3 prior to Lincoln’s game later
Sunday night against Collinsville.
[Loyd Kirby]
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