Breese Central ran the clock down and got the ball to Stubhart, who connected on his shot from just inside the foul line.

“The kid stepped up and hit a nice shot,” Farmer said. “You just have to tip your hat to him.”

It spoiled a hard-played game in which Effingham led much of the way, despite having only one returning starter and several players seeing their first-ever varsity action.

The Hearts got three-pointers from Volpi and Wolfe and led 6-4 after the first eight minutes. Three more shots from behind the arc – by Volpi, Wolfe and Ethan Ritz – helped Effingham keep its slim lead, 19-16, at intermission.

Another three by Volpi and a bucket by Andrew Splechter had the Hearts on top, 24-20, before Breese Central converted a pair of EHS turnovers into easy scores to knot the game at 24-24 heading into the fourth period.

The Cougars took advantage of EHS miscues in the final quarter. Their biggest lead was 33-26 before the Hearts began their comeback and set the stage for Stubhart’s last-second heroics.

“We played hard,” Farmer noted. “We talk about three things a lot – effort, intensity and toughness. We take pride in those things. It’s what kept us in the game.

“For us to have as many turnovers as we had and to only lose by two points tells you the other things we did well,” the coach added. “We just gave them too many additional scoring opportunities.”

Volpi led the Hearts with 15 points and Wolfe finished with 9.

“We need to find more scoring,” Farmer emphasized. “It doesn’t matter who scores as long as we find ways to put the ball in the hole.

“I thought Jett was aggressive tonight and took really good shots the first half,” Farmer added. “Then in the second half, I thought the whole team got rushed and took some ill-advised shots. We just can’t do that. And when we correct our ballhandling issues, we should get more possessions and set us up for better shots.”

The Hearts took just 28 shots and made 13 of them, a 46 percent clip. They were 8-for-17 from three-point range and 1-for-2 at the foul line. They were out-rebounded 18-15 and finished with 18 turnovers.

The Cougars didn’t have a player in double figures. Brady Moore led the way with nine points, while Dickshot and Hamon both scored eight. Breese Central shot an icy 33 percent, connecting on just 16-of-48 attempts. They were 0-for-14 from long range and 5-for-6 at the free throw line. They committed nine turnovers.

The Hearts will return to action tonight (Wednesday). They will play Robinson at 6:30 p.m. The Maroons opened their tournament play with a win over St. Anthony Monday night.