The Taylorville Lady Tornadoes remained undefeated in Apollo Conference play, but it didn’t come easy.

Taylorville built a double-digit lead early and then withstood a strong challenge from the Effingham Lady Hearts to come away with a 54-41 win at home Tuesday night.

The hosts lit it up from behind the arc in the opening eight minutes. Addison Tarr connected on three shots from long range and Aubrey Kietzman and Kyleigh Heimsness both added a pair of three-pointers, helping the Lady Tornadoes build a 21-9 lead.

The Lady Hearts then outscored Taylorville 11-5 in the second period to close the gap to 26-20 at halftime. It was still a six-point margin, 37-31, heading into the final quarter. The Lady Tornadoes then made 6-of-10 free throws down the stretch to secure the win.

Tarr finished with a game-high 20 points to lead Taylorville, who improved to 16-3 on the season and 6-0 in conference play.

Bria Beals led Effingham with 12 points.

The Lady Hearts are now 16-4 on the season and 3-3 in the Apollo. They will travel to Paris on Thursday night.