Jackson Braun proved to be tough to handle.

Charleston’s 6’6” senior pumped in 20 points and controlled the inside, helping the Trojans stay unbeaten in the Apollo Conference by posting a 55-45 victory Tuesday night at Effingham.

The Hearts led at every stop through three quarters – 13-12 after the initial eight minutes; 24-22 at intermission; and 38-37 entering the fourth period.

But Braun scored six points and teammate William Applegate went 6-for-6 at the free throw line in that final quarter, as the Trojans outscored the Hearts, 18-7, to pull away and secure the victory. Charleston is now 7-2 overall and 4-0 in the Apollo.

“Braun killed us, especially on the boards. I think he had eight offensive rebounds alone,” EHS coach Obie Farmer said. “He is long and athletic and was about 95 percent of our problem tonight. We had a hard time with him last year, too. He’s a very good player. I think he’s better than (Sam) Bradbury from Mattoon.”

Jett Volpi knocked down a pair of three-pointers and scored 10 points in the first half, as the Hearts managed to maintain a slim lead. Dalton Fox had his best shooting performance of the season. He connected on three shots from behind the arc, including two in the first half.

Volpi scored seven more points in the third period and EHS took the one-point margin into the final eight minutes.

“For most of the game, we played within ourselves,” Farmer said. “I thought we played pretty good defense overall, didn’t turn the ball over much and were a little better on the offensive end. We’ll keep making adjustments and tweaking a few things. I feel like we’re really close to turning the corner.”

Volpi finished with 17 points and Fox added 10.

The Hearts dipped to 2-7 on the season and are now 0-3 in the Apollo Conference. They will be at home again next Tuesday, hosting Taylorville in another conference game.