Lincoln Land held tough, but could never catch up to the Cobras of Parkland College and eventually fell 78-69.

The #12 NJCAA ranked Parkland Cobras came to Cass Gymnasium to close out the Loggers regular season. Earlier this season Parkland absolutely demolished the Loggers; Wednesday night was a different story. The two matched scoring and traded the lead a total of 6 times and found themselves tied 4 others. With still over 8:00 to play in the half, a Keshaun Harlan 3 put Lincoln Land down just 1 point at 28-27. Despite the Loggers keeping pace and leading by a possession on a few occasions, Parkland proceeded to get a 12-2 run and following the final media timeout Lincoln Land found themselves down a game high 11 points. Lincoln Land responded with a 10-2 run and the game back to a one possession contest before giving up the final 3 points of the half to go into the break trailing 46-39. 

The second half was played within just a 7-point window. Parkland never lead by more than 11, but Lincoln Land was unable to get any closer than 4. Lincoln Land would crawl back to a 4-point game, but Parkland would make enough plays to push it back to 6-10 points. The last LLCC threat came with just 2:00 to play when the Loggers got within 5 at 69-74. The Loggers got a defensive stop and rebound on the next possession, but on the offensive end a missed shot was the Loggers' last real chance at getting within a possession. Parkland finished making 4 straight free throws and the Loggers were unable to score another basket. Lincoln Land fell by the final of 78-69.

The stat that doomed the Loggers was turnovers. Lincoln Land actually matched shooting percentages and rebounding with the Cobras, but turned the ball over 7 more times, giving Parkland the chances to secure victory. Three Loggers ended in double digits with Keshaun Harlan leading the way with a team high 17 points. Josh Banks ended his regular season career with one of his best games, finishing with 13 points and 6 rebounds. Jean-Piere Villegas ended with 12 points to be the third double digit scorer. Gus McCrary came off the bench to grab a team high 7 rebounds. 

Lincoln Land ends the regular season at 11-11 and 7-7 in MWAC play. The Loggers await their opponent but will host the first round of NJCAA Region 24 tournament play on Tuesday night in Cass Gymnasium. 

We want to give special thanks to the commitment this 25-26 sophomore class gave to Lincoln Land. 

Nate Moore #10 –
Originally from Bloomington, IL, Nate is the son of Jill and Al Moore. While at Lincoln Land, Nate is a Business major and at this time is undecided on future plans.
Nate was recognized as NJCAA Region 24 Player of the Week this season during the week of January 26th. Against ICC on January 24th, Moore went a perfect 9-9 from the field and 5-5 from the line, finishing with 27 points.
Nate's other best outing was when he set a career high of 31 points to kick off the season on November 9th against Rock Valley, including the game-winner in the closing seconds.

Camory Hall #11 - Camory Hall is originally from Kansas City, Missouri, and is the son of Cardell and Monique Hall.
Camory is a Business major who has maintained a 3.6 GPA and made the Dean's List last year. Camory plans to major in marketing and continue to play college basketball next year at a four-year school.
Camory's best games here at LLCC came with 9 points and 3 steals in a victory against Lewis and Clark earlier this month. Overall, his career high is 20 points from last season.

Isaac Brockschmidt #12 - Isaac is from Beardstown, Illinois, and is the son of Sara and Jason Brockschmidt.
After finishing as his high school valedictorian, Isaac is studying Finance and Accounting at Lincoln Land and plans to continue that education at the University of Illinois Springfield next year.
Isaac's best game in Cass Gymnasium actually came as an opponent last year, where he finished with 7 points and a game-high 9 rebounds, dished out 2 assists, and grabbed 2 steals, including burning future teammates Nate and Stephen on separate drives. According to Isaac, his highlight here at Lincoln Land has been practicing and competing with his teammates each day.
Gus McCrary #21 - Gus is the son of Scott and Chris McCrary and came to Lincoln Land via Vincennes, Indiana.
At Lincoln Land, Gus has studied Elementary Education, which he plans to continue at a four-year school where he intends to continue his basketball career.
Gus received the Dawn and Dusk Award for the team last season and has been on the Lincoln Land President's List as well as a third-team All-NJCAA Academic member.
Gus has had many high-impact games, with career highs of 11 points twice last season and 10 rebounds four times. This season's best effort was a 9-point and 10-rebound evening in a win against John Wood. Gus has also remained in the top 25 in the country in three-point percentage for much of the season.

Stephen Braun #22 - Stephen is the son of Sarah and Lee Braun and comes to Lincoln Land from his hometown of Chillicothe, Illinois.
Stephen is studying for a Communications degree here at Lincoln Land, where he has been recognized as a member of the Vice President's Academic list. Stephen also serves as President of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. When it comes to the future, Stephen is currently undecided but knows God has a plan for him.
Stephen's best game came toward the end of the season last year when he scored a career-high 18 points, including 4 three-pointers.

Josh Banks #24 - Josh Banks is the son of Norma Banks. Josh came to Lincoln Land from his hometown of Indianapolis, Indiana. Josh is studying Engineering Science at LLCC and plans to continue his basketball career while pursuing a degree in Engineering.
Josh's career high came to kick off this season against Rock Valley, scoring 15 points including a layup late in OT to put the Loggers up by three points on their way to victory. A recent high point was putting his teammate, Mason, on a poster with a put-back dunk last week.

Bryce Welch #31 - Bryce is the son of Cedric Welch and is originally from Naperville, IL.
Here at LLCC, Bryce has majored in Computer Science and was recognized academically on the Vice President's List. Although not committed to a school yet, Bryce plans to pursue a computer science degree after Lincoln Land.
Bryce has constantly been a spark off the bench, with his best game coming in a 6-point effort earlier this year. His impact was cut short by injury, but his voice and leadership continue to serve the team.

A special shoutout as well to Malik Ewards who came to LLCC with the intent to play, but dealt with injuries. Malik served as team manager for this year, supporting and cheering this team each step of the way.