The final two minutes featured Robinson firing one shot after another from behind the arc, Effingham grabbing the rebound, getting fouled and parading to the free throw line. The Hearts outscored the Maroons 8-2 down the stretch, with Splechter making three free throws, while Fox and Jett Volpi added a pair and Garrett Wolfe one to nail down the team’s first win of the season.

“Does it feel good? You bet it is does,” Farmer said following the contest. “Winning is hard and the first one is always the hardest to get. This group is starting to embrace this style of basketball – being patient on offense and working their tails off on defense. I’m proud of them.”

A pair of free throws and a short jumper by Volpi staked the Hearts to a quick 4-0 lead. Wolfe then drained a pair from long range and Splechter added another from behind the arc to build a 14-5 cushion after the opening eight minutes.

Loll scored six straight points to open the second period, helping Robinson close to within 14-11. The lead fluctuated between two and four points the rest of the quarter with EHS holding a 21-17 advantage at intermission.

For the first six quarters of the season, the Hearts had been forced to play a majority of those minutes without 6’6” senior Brayden Pals on the floor. He got into early foul trouble on opening night and didn’t play much and was in foul trouble again Wednesday after being whistled for his second foul just four minutes into the game.

But Pals was back on the floor in the third period and his presence was immediately felt. He went 5-for-5 from the floor, including two from three-point range, and converted a pair of free throws. His 14 third-quarter points helped EHS lead by as many as 13 at one point, 34-21, and still maintain a 41-33 edge heading into the final period.

“This was a breakout game for him,” Farmer noted. “I thought this would happen. We’re a different team with him on the floor. He can score from inside and out, plus our defense is better because he can change shots at the rim.”

Pals scored again to open the fourth quarter and Splechter, who also had a breakout performance, added three more baskets, including one at the 6:36 mark to put the Hearts ahead 49-36. He scored 11 of his game-high 19 points in the final eight minutes.

“We’ve been telling him how good of a player he could be,” Farmer said. “To have a huge game like this should bring him out of his shell and give him confidence. He had a really solid game for us tonight.”

The Hearts featured a balanced scoring attack. In addition to Splechter’s 19 points, Pals finished with 16, Wolfe scored 13 and Volpi was close to double figures with nine.

Fox only had five points – all coming from the foul stripe in the fourth quarter – but turned in an outstanding performance. He had a game-high 10 rebounds and played solid defense the entire way.

“Dalton is our spiritual and emotional leader,” Farmer explained. “He keeps us poised. He works harder than anybody on the floor. We need him to be a rebounder, a great defender and our leader. That’s what he was for us tonight.”

The Hearts took only 37 shots, but made nearly half of them, finishing with 18. They were 7-for-21 from long range, and 11-for-16 inside the arc, a torrid 69 percent. They were 19-for-34 from the charity stripe, including 13-of-22 in the fourth quarter. They held a slim 27-24 rebounding edge and turned the ball over 17 times, with 12 of those coming in the second half.

Robinson also had three players in double figures – Wesley Jackson with 15, Loll 14 and Gilmore 10. The Maroons shot 38 percent overall, but made just 3-of-23 from behind the arc. They were 7-of-13 from the foul line and turned the ball over 18 times.

“For us to win, we have to play at our pace, probe the defense and find our shot; not just a shot,” Farmer noted. “We have to be patient, move the ball and wear down the other team’s defense. Other than that stretch in the fourth quarter, I thought we did that well tonight. This was a good win for us.”

The Hearts are now 1-1 in the tourney. They will return to action Friday night. They will play their cross-town rivals St. Anthony at 7:30 p.m.