It was closer than expected – for a half.

But then the Effingham Lady Hearts got rolling.

Effingham used a 43-6 scoring surge in the second half to pull away and post a 61-21 victory Monday night at Charleston.

The Lady Hearts shot a frigid 25 percent in the first 16 minutes, including an 0-for-8 showing from behind the arc, and held a slim 18-15 advantage at intermission.

But when the shooting improved in the second half, EHS quickly put the game out of reach. The Lady Hearts outscored the Lady Trojans 25-6 in the third period to increase the lead to 43-21 and then finished the contest on an 18-0 run.

Bria Beals and Saige Althoff shared scoring honors for Effingham, both finishing with 13 points. Bella Austin also reached double figures with 10.

The Lady Hearts improved to 9-2 overall and are now 2-2 in the Apollo Conference. They will return to action Thursday, traveling across town to face St. Anthony.