For the third straight game, the Effingham Lady Hearts have followed a similar pattern.

Jump to a quick lead and then roll to a victory.

Tuesday was no exception.

The Lady Hearts raced to a 19-7 lead and continued to expand on that, en route to a 59-20 victory over Vandalia in a second-round game at the Bob Kerans Thanksgiving Tournament in Newton.

Meredith Schaefer, Madison Mapes and Ella Niebrugge each knocked down a three-pointer and combined to score 17 points, helping EHS grab that early lead. The Lady Hearts then outscored the Lady Vandals 33-9 over the next two periods to increase their cushion to 52-16.

Effingham had a balanced scoring attack, with three players reaching double figures. Schaefer finished with 12 points, while Mapes and Niebrugge both scored 10. A total of nine players got into the scoring column.

The Lady Hearts are now 2-0 in the tournament and 3-0 on the season. They will be back in action today (Wednesday), facing Flora at 6:30 p.m.