Bella Austin and Saige Althoff scored baskets and Averie Wolfe converted a turnover into a three-point play. Just 49 seconds into the game, the Lady Hearts owned a 7-0 lead. But over the following 57 seconds, Stacie Vonderheide scored five points and Nancy Ruholl added a bucket for SAHS and the game was tied 7-7.
That set the tone for the rest of the game.
Vonderheide and Ruholl combined to score 19 points in the first eight minutes, helping the Lady Bulldogs take a 21-16 lead.
But Effingham opened the second quarter on an 11-0 surge. Alyssa Martin had five points and Austin connected from behind the arc during that run to give EHS a six-point cushion, 27-21.
But back came St. Anthony.
Vonderheide scored six points in the final two minutes and Adysen Rios added a bucket, giving the Lady Bulldogs a 33-31 edge at intermission.
Both teams were guilty of turning the ball over too much. Some of those turnovers were due to defensive pressure, while others were simply careless passes. At halftime, St. Anthony had 14 turnovers and Effingham 10.
“We made too many mistakes,” Schafer admitted. “We got off to a great start. Maybe the girls thought it was going to be easy. Their pressure caused us some problems. I also thought we stood around too much. Plus, I found out they like playing faster even better than we do. So, I tried to turn it into more of a halfcourt game.”
“I thought our defenses caused some problems for them,” St. Anthony coach Aaron Rios added. “We have three defenses and we like to mix them up. I did think that threw them off a little and we got some turnovers.”
After Austin opened the second half with a three-pointer, the Lady Bulldogs responded with an 11-3 run. After Vonderheide hit a jumper and Ruholl scored five straight points, the hosts owned the biggest lead of the game, 44-36, at the 5:31 mark of the third quarter.
It was still an eight-point margin two minutes later when the Lady Hearts made their push. Martin scored seven points and Sidney Donaldson added three more, helping Effingham get within 47-46 as the two teams headed to the final quarter.
Bria Beals hit a jumper and Wolfe drilled a three to put EHS on top 51-49. Vonderheide scored four straight points, Wolfe connected on another three and Kallie Kabbes hit a short jumper to put the Lady Bulldogs ahead, 55-54.
Two free throws by Wolfe at the 3:57 mark put Effingham ahead to stay. Wolfe went 6-for-6 from the foul line in the final quarter, while Austin was 4-for-4 and Olivia Moser 3-for-4. That, coupled with five St. Anthony turnovers, helped the Lady Hearts expand their lead in the final two minutes of the game.
“We moved the ball well in that fourth quarter,” Schafer said. “We got some wide open shots and were able to make them. I credit our girls for sticking with it tonight. Nothing came easy, but they came through and had a really nice fourth quarter.”
Vonderheide and Ruholl were quite a duo on the offensive end, scoring 25 and 24 points respectively. For Ruholl, it was her first game back after missing three due to a concussion.
“I thought our team really competed tonight,” Rios said. “For being off two weeks and only practicing a couple days, I thought Nancy was awesome. In fact, she and Stacie were both awesome. If we can get our other three to four girls to score consistently, we’ll be in a good position to finish games like this.”
The Lady Bulldogs shot 45 percent from the floor, making 22-of-49 attempts. They were 2-for-9 from three-point range and 15-for-21 at the foul line. They finished with 21 turnovers.
“I love games like this because you can learn from them,” Rios noted. “I think we’re putting the pieces together. We’re right there.”
“I think St. Anthony will be a tough out this year,” Schafer added. “They’ve got a real good team. I thought we did a good job guarding the three-point line, but Ruholl was able to drive to the basket and Vonderheide went to the boards. They are very good players.”
Martin and Austin both scored 21 points to lead the Lady Hearts. Wolfe added 17, with 12 of those coming in the fourth period.
“I thought tonight was the most comfortable Bella has looked in an Effingham jersey so far,” Schafer said. (Austin transferred from Vandalia this year.) “I thought she played a great game. Alyssa is just a ‘baller.’ She plays hard and never complains. And Averie really finished the game strong.”
The Lady Hearts made 23-of-56 attempts, a 41 percent clip. They were 5-of-19 from long range and 20-of-32 from the line. Martin finished with a double-double, also pulling down 10 rebounds to help EHS to a 30-26 advantage of the boards.
“There is so much potential on this team,” Schafer noted. “We’ve got to continue working hard, but I think we’re getting closer.”
The Lady Bulldogs, who are ranked 7th in the first Class 1A poll, dipped to 8-4 on the season. They will play at home again Monday against ALAH.
The Lady Hearts improved to 10-2 overall. They will return home Thursday to face Highland.
