The Effingham Lady Hearts used a strong second half to pull away and post a 45-33 victory at home Monday night over Lincoln.
The Lady Railsplitters sophomore standout Kloe Froebe was out with an injury and the Lady Hearts took advantage.
EHS held a slim 20-19 edge at halftime, but then outscored their guests 25-14 in the final 16 minutes to notch their 18th win of the season.
Ella Niebrugge knocked down a three and scored five points and Madison Mapes added four more, sparking Effingham to a 13-7 run in the third period that expanded the lead to 33-26 heading into the fourth quarter.
Marissa Allie came up big, scoring seven points, including a three-point play, as the Lady Hearts closed out the game on a 12-7 surge to seal the win.
Meredith Schaefer connected on five threes in the game and led the Lady Hearts with 15 points. Niebrugge finished with nine and Allie added eight.
The Lady Hearts improved to 18-10 on the season and 5-6 in the Apollo Conference. They have two more games this week to close out their regular season – Wednesday at home against Olney; and Thursday at Mt. Zion.
