Meredith Schaefer knocked down a pair of three-pointers in the fourth quarter, and Ella Niebrugge added another from long range, helping the Effingham Lady Hearts expand their lead down the stretch and clinch the championship of the Vandalia Mid-Winter Girls Basketball Tournament with a 51-44 victory Friday night over Mascoutah.

The Hearts held a slim 37-36 advantage heading into the final eight minutes. In addition to the three buckets from long range, Niebrugge added a pair of free throws, Madison Mapes hit a jumper and Saige Althoff made a charity toss, helping the EHS girls outscore Mascoutah 14-8 and finish with a sweep of their four games in the round robin tourney.

The Lady Indians broke on top early and led 14-8 after the first period. Niebrugge, who connected on six three-pointers in the game, made two in the second quarter. Schaefer added another from behind the arc and scored five points and Marissa Allie added four more as the Lady Hearts went on a 19-7 scoring surge and took a 27-21 lead at intermission.

Niebrugge had two more threes in the third quarter, but Mascoutah was able to close to within one point heading into the fourth period.

Niebrugge finished with 20 points to lead all scorers and Schaefer added 16.

Effingham, which improved to 16-6 on the season, will be back in action Monday, playing host to Taylorville in an Apollo Conference matchup.