They trailed 51-49 when the first of those four late turnovers happened, resulting in a free throw by Mattoon’s Piper Sanders. Olivia Moser, who came off the bench and really sparked Effingham in the fourth period, then got a steal and scored to trim the gap to 52-51 at the 1:03 mark.

Three more turnovers prevented the Lady Hearts from getting additional shots. Free throws by Emily Maple, Sanders and Lily Ghere increased the margin to 56-51 with only 16 ticks left.

But EHS still wasn’t finished.

A three-point play by Alyssa Martin trimmed it to two, and when the Lady Green Wave missed a free throw, the Lady Hearts grabbed a rebound with only three seconds to go. Effingham got off a long heave from behind the center line, but it was off target.

“It was just too much of a roller-coaster tonight,” Schafer said. “We didn’t stay focused the whole game and made too many mistakes. This was a golden opportunity for us to go to sectional. And in 3A, that’s tough. There were just too many missed opportunities and too many turnovers.”

The game was close throughout.

Back-to-back baskets by Marissa Allie and Martin put the Lady Hearts up 10-5. But a three-pointer by Maple ignited a 10-0 run by Mattoon. Maple hit two more shots, including another three, in the final minute of the opening period, helping the Lady Green Wave build a 15-10 advantage by the end of the first period.

Three-pointers by Madison Mapes and Bria Beals, plus baskets by Allie and Beals again, capped a 10-3 EHS run that put the Lady Hearts back on top, 20-18. Mattoon got a three-pointer and a pair of free throws from Lily Ghere to take a slim 25-24 lead into the locker room at intermission.

The Lady Green Wave threatened to pull away in the third period. Two free throws by Ella Niebrugge and a basket by Martin had Effingham within 36-32, but Ella Conyers hit a shot from behind the arc, and Maple and Ghere both scored, expanding the margin to nine points, 43-34.

Baskets by Mapes and Martin to close out the third quarter got the Lady Hearts back to within 43-38 heading into the final eight minutes.

A three-point play by Moser to open the fourth period got EHS with two. The lead fluctuated between two and five points the rest of the way.

Effingham connected on 20 two-point shots, while Mattoon had just nine. But the Lady Green Wave countered by drilling nine shots from long range.

“We wanted two feet on the green (three-point) line defensively,” Schafer explained. “We didn’t always do that. We did a good job of guarding them off the dribble, but we didn’t cover the three-point line like we wanted to. But give them credit for making them.”

Maple and Ghere led Mattoon in scoring, finishing with 23 and 21 points respectively. The Lady Green Wave, who improved to 15-16 on the season, shot 42 percent overall, making 18-of-43 attempts. They were 9-for-27 from three-point range and 11-for-14 from the foul line.

Effingham got 11 points from both Mapes and Martin. The Lady Hearts shot well, making 22-of-43 attempts, a 51 percent clip. They were 2-for-12 from long range and 8-for-13 at the free throw line. They owned a 23-18 rebounding advantage, with Martin pulling down a game-high eight boards.

EHS ended its season with a 20-11 record.

And Schafer was forced to say goodbye to seven seniors – Madison Mapes, Lily Wise, Ella Niebrugge, Taylor Greene, Riley Cunningham, Marissa Allie and Abby Cunningham.

“Three of them (the Cunningham sisters and Wise) didn’t get to play much, but they were awesome,” the veteran coach said. “They always had a positive attitude. I loved having them be part of this team.

“Taylor was kind of in-between,” Schafer noted. “She got to play some, but not a lot. She is like a bright light; an incredible kid. She’s an absolute joy to be around.

“Marissa is 5’4” and plays like she’s 6’1”,” the EHS coach continued. “I was glad to see her play so well tonight. She, Olivia and Alyssa were like a three-headed monster. They played so well. Marissa just battles every night.

“Madison is our leading scorer, our ballhandler, our passer,” Schafer added. “She shot over 40 percent from three-point range, which is one of the best shooting percentages we’ve ever had. She’s been a valuable part of this team’s success.

“And Ella is the heart and soul of this team,” Schafer explained. “She’s our energy. She brings it every night. She’s a great competitor and doesn’t back down from anybody.”

It’s been a special year for Schafer, who became the school’s all-time winningest coach and completes the year with 469 career victories.

“I didn’t know what we were going to be this year,” he noted. “But these girls just continued to fight and work hard. They are great at preparing for games. I felt like we beat everybody we should have, other than tonight.

“We’ve had so much fun,” Schafer added. “This group knows how to have fun and still play basketball. It’s been a special group and a special year for me.”