The Lady Hearts did make a game of it in the second half. A three-pointer by Conyers gave the Green Wave a 15-point advantage, 36-21, when Effingham began a comeback. Alyssa Martin was the sparkplug. The sophomore scored eight consecutive points and Saige Althoff scored after grabbing an offensive rebound to get EHS within 39-31 at the close of the third period.

 Bria Beals then knocked down a shot from behind the arc to open the final quarter and the Lady Hearts were within five points, 39-34. It was still a five-point spread after a bucket by Bella Austin, but Effingham was not able to get any closer.

Maple had 13 of her game-high 27 points in the final eight minutes. The Green Wave made 13-of-16 free throws in the final 2½ minutes to thwart Effingham’s attempt to rally and secure the victory.

“I thought our offense came to life a little in the second half,” Schafer said. “But we have to have that same focus all the time. We wasted too many possessions in that first half. It’s really disappointing. I know we’re better than what we showed tonight.”

In addition to Maple’s 27 points, Conyers added 14 for the Green Wave, who remained undefeated at 8-0. This was their first Apollo Conference game.

Martin led EHS with 20 points and Bella Austin added 13. The Lady Hearts shot 49 percent for the game, making 20-of-41 attempts. They were 2-for-11 from long range and 10-for-14 at the foul stripe. They held a slim 23-21 rebounding advantage, but turned the ball over 19 times, including 11 in the first half.

The Lady Hearts dropped to 7-2 overall and 0-2 in the Apollo. They will play at home again Saturday afternoon when they entertain Mahomet-Seymour in another conference contest.