By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

The St. Anthony Bulldogs could have been in trouble.

First of all, they were facing a talented Dieterich team in what many believed was an early “championship” game in the National Trail Conference race.

And at halftime, their two leading scorers – Brock Fearday and Ryan Schmidt – were a combined 1-for-11 from the floor and, together, had scored just four points.

As it turned out, that was not an issue.

Thanks to Keenan Griffith and Will Fearday.

That pair combined to score 19 first-half points, helping the Bulldogs build a lead.

And when Brock Fearday and Schmidt began scoring in the second half, that lead continued to grow, resulting in a 68-40 victory before a big crowd Friday night at the Enloe Center.

“This was a nice confidence boost for us,” St. Anthony coach Cody Rincker said. “This was our biggest test since the Thanksgiving Tournament. We played with mental toughness and physical toughness. And we won handily, despite our two top scorers not having their best games. This was a big win for us.”

Nobody expected this to be a lopsided game. And the first half wasn’t.

Tyler Oakley scored 15 points in the first quarter Friday night, helping the Charleston Trojans build an early lead, en route to a 63-46 victory at home over Effingham.

Oakley knocked down three shots from behind the arc and added three more baskets, as the host Trojans jumped to an 18-11 lead after the opening eight minutes. By halftime, Charleston expanded its advantage to 36-22.

The Hearts got three-pointers from Hayden Wendling and Ethan Jones in the third quarter and trimmed the deficit to 48-37, but the Trojans outscored EHS 15-9 in the final period to secure the win.

Oakley finished with a game-high 21 points for Charleston, while teammate Luke Bonstetter added 12.

Cole Phillips was the only Hearts player to reach double figures, finishing with 12.

Effingham is now 3-9 overall and dropped to 2-2 in the Apollo Conference.

The Hearts will return to action in the Effingham/Teutopolis Christmas Classic. They will open tourney play against Chicago Brooks. That game is set for 7:30 p.m. on Thursday.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

The deciding moments in many basketball games are the final minutes or even seconds of a quarter.

Thursday night’s game between cross-town rivals – Effingham and St. Anthony – is a perfect example.

With 2:24 to play in the first half, it was a one-point game.

Up to that point, the Effingham and St. Anthony girls had battled on even terms. The game had been tied four times and the lead changed hands on three occasions. The largest lead by either team had been five points.

The Lady Hearts then closed the half on a 6-0 run.

Now fast forward to the third period. With only 51 seconds remaining, the host Effingham team had seen its one-time 10-point lead reduced to only six. But three straight possessions resulted in a quick 8-0 surge that ballooned the lead to 14 points.

Those two runs were the difference in the game, as the Lady Hearts went on to post a 59-41 victory over the Lady Bulldogs.

“We have a team that fights and competes, but they have a real good ball club,” St. Anthony coach Aaron Rios said. “Those last 50 seconds of the third period, especially, really hurt. After that, I thought we just ran of gas.”

“I think that’s where our depth really showed,” EHS coach Jeff Schafer added. “We’re able to play seven -- sometimes eight – girls, so we’re able to rotate kids in and keep them fresh. That really comes into play at the end of the quarters. It certainly did tonight.”

With a little over two minutes to play in the opening half, Nancy Ruholl and Lilly Gannaway had just converted Effingham turnovers into baskets, and the Lady Bulldogs were within 24-23.

The Teutopolis Lady Shoes broke out to an early lead and went on to notch their 10th win of the season Thursday night, posting a 54-46 decision at Newton.

Kelsey Niemerg and Mollie Ruholl both knocked down three-pointers in the opening period, helping T-Town build a 12-3 lead. It was a double-digit advantage, 24-13, at intermission.

Newton’s Karasyn Martin and Camryn Martin tried to bring the Lady Eagles back, combining to score 20 second-half points, but the Lady Shoes made 10-of-14 free throws in the final eight minutes to maintain their lead.

Chloe Probst and Mollie Ruholl both cracked double figures for Teutopolis, finishing with 16 and 12 points respectively. Malea Helmink led the way on the boards, pulling down nine rebounds.

The Lady Shoes improved to 10-2 on the season. They will now compete in the Coles County Girls Holiday Basketball Tournament. They will play two games on Friday, Dec. 27 – against Champaign Central at 11:30 a.m.; and then against Marion at 6 p.m. Both of those games will be played at Charleston High School.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

With 6:16 to play in the third quarter, it looked like an old-fashioned battle-to-the-end basketball game between cross-creek rivals Effingham and Teutopolis.

The score was tied 27-27.

Up to that point, neither team had established control. The game was tied on three occasions and the lead had changed hands four times.

But over the next 12 minutes, that all changed.

The Wooden Shoes then hit three straight shots from behind the arc, sparking a 24-0 scoring run that changed the entire complexion of the game and resulted in a 56-32 victory for the hosts Tuesday night at J.H. Griffin Gymnasium.

“We finally started executing better and we stopped throwing the ball to the team in red,” THS coach Chet Reeder said. “We’re still learning that orange ball is very important. Every possession is important. Possessions are golden.”

Guilty of nine turnovers in the first 16 minutes, the Shoes turned the ball over just twice during that decisive stretch in the second half.

And they made shots. A lot of them.

Mick Niebrugge broke the 27-27 tie with a three-pointer from the top of the key. Gavin Addis and Alex Kremer followed with threes of their own and the scoring spree was underway.

The St. Anthony Bulldogs had four players score in double figures Tuesday night, en route to a 65-37 win at Newton.

Will Fearday, Keenan Griffith, Sam Link and Miles Waldhoff combined to score 47 points.

The Bulldogs led throughout. They were up 14-10 after the first eight minutes, but then outscored the host Eagles 37-21 during the middle two quarters to build the lead to 20 points, 51-31, entering the fourth period.

Will Fearday finished with a game-high 13 points, while Griffith scored 12 and both Link and Waldhoff added 11.

St. Anthony improved to 7-2 overall. They will return home for a key National Trail Conference contest Friday night against Dieterich. Both teams are currently 3-0 in the NTC. The Maroons are 7-1 overall.

The Teutopolis Lady Shoes notched their sixth win of the season Thursday night, posting a 60-44 decision at Benton.

T-Town got nine first-quarter points from Chloe Prost, but trailed 17-16. Probst then scored six more points in the second quarter, helping the Lady Shoes go on a 14-6 scoring run and take a 30-23 lead at halftime.

Teutopolis then outscored the Lady Rangers 30-21 in the second half to finish with the 16-point victory.

Chloe Probst turned in a game-high 19 points to lead three THS players in double figures. Mollie Ruholl scored 12 points and Anna Probst added 11. Chloe Probst and Eva Mette both grabbed nine rebounds.

The Lady Shoes improved to 6-1. They will play at home for the first time Saturday and face Olney.

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