“Lincoln tries to get you worked up and anxious,” Farmer explained. “They like to force you into turnovers and into taking bad shots. That’s what they did to us the first few minutes tonight. Unfortunately, it took us a little while to get settled.”

But from that point on, Effingham and Lincoln battled on even terms.

Brayden Pals scored on an offensive putback to get the Hearts on the scoreboard. Parker Wolfe and Drew Thompson connected on 3-pointers to make it 18-8 after the first eight minutes.

Wolfe opened the second quarter with another three to make it a seven-point spread. Kameron Whiteman, who had five 3-pointers in the opening half, connected from long range to get the lead back to double digits, 25-13, but the Hearts closed the half on a 10-3 run.

Tate Niebrugge drilled two from behind the arc and Wolfe added another to get EHS within 28-23 at halftime.

“You have to be super patient with the ball when you play them,” Farmer said. “They play that 1-2-2 zone really well. Coach (Neil) Alexander knows what he’s doing. He’s been running that defense since the beginning of time.

“You have to pound the ball inside and keep moving it in and out,” Farmer added. “You have to make them move on defense. I know they only have five guys out there, but it’s like you’re playing against 10. It’s hard to score on those guys.”

The Railsplitters scored the first seven points of the second half to quickly rebuild the lead to double digits again. But Wolfe hit a pair of threes and Nate Thompson got three baskets inside. The score fluctuated between 7 and 12 points throughout the third period. Heading into the final eight minutes, the guests owned a 44-35 advantage.

Nate Thompson hit a pair of foul shots and Drew Thompson scored on a nice drive to the basket to keep it a seven-point margin, 46-39, at the 6:19 mark. But Lincoln then put together an 8-2 spurt to open a 13-point spread, 54-41.

The Hearts got within 10 at one point down the stretch, but no closer.

“They are just very, very good at what they do,” Farmer said. “Plus, they sprint all the time. The conditioning of those kids is outstanding. They’re disciplined and they play the game right way.”

The Railsplitters, who have only Charleston and Taylorville left on their conference schedule, have absolutely dominated Apollo Conference opponents this season. The 16-point deficit Friday night was the closest any league team has been to them all year. Lincoln is averaging a 30-point winning margin, having won one conference game by 53 points and two others by more than 40.

Alexander, now in his 30th season, will go down as one of the best coaches in the history of Illinois high school basketball. He is closing in on his 700th win at Lincoln.

The Railsplitters had four players in double figures. Whiteman and Kaden Froebe both finished with 15 points, while Will Ewald scored 14 and Dylan Singleton added 10.

“They are so explosive and versatile on offense,” Farmer said. “They can all dribble and they can all shoot. If you make a mistake or have a couple bad possessions, they’re going to make you pay. If you give them the ball, they’re going to score.”

The Hearts, who are now 15-10 on the season and 5-5 in league play, got 16 points from Wolfe and 14 from Nate Thompson.

Effingham will return to action today (Saturday) at the Teutopolis Shootout. The Hearts will play a talented Paxton-Buckley-Loda team that will enter with a 24-3 record. That game is scheduled to tip-off at 5:30 p.m.

“They play a similar defense as Lincoln and their offense is similar to what we run,” Farmer said. “From what I’ve seen, they will be a challenging team to play against. This will be another good test as we get ready for the regional. “