The Effingham Lady Hearts built a 20-point lead in just eight minutes and never looked back.

The Lady Hearts raced to a 22-1 lead and then rolled to a 54-24 win at home over Dieterich in their home opener Thursday night.

By halftime, the lead had increased to 42-9.

Ten different players got into the scoring column for Effingham. Alyssa Martin and Sidney Donaldson both reached double figures, finishing with 11 and 10 points respectively. Bella Austin added eight.

The Lady Hearts, now 2-0, will be back in action Monday night. They will play Altamont in an opening-round game of the Bob Kerans Thanksgiving Tournament in Newton.