Wolfe hit another shot from behind the arc 31 seconds into the second period. Bella Austin then converted a Salem turnover into a basket, Sidney Donaldson drilled a three and hit another short jumper, Alyssa Martin added a free throw and Austin capped the scoring spree with another basket, expanding the margin to 26-5 with 5:19 left in the quarter.

At intermission, the cushion was 26 points, 37-11.

“I thought our team defense was really, really good tonight,” Schafer said. “We communicated very well and got some easy baskets in transition.”

Donaldson scored 11 points in the third period, including a three-point play in the final seconds, to boost the EHS lead to 33 points, 59-26, heading into the fourth quarter. That also resulted in a continuously running clock over the final eight minutes.

Donaldson had an outstanding game, finishing with a double-double – 24 points and 10 rebounds. Wolfe scored nine points, while Austin and Beals both added eight.

“Sidney played great,” Schafer said. “She crashed the boards and got some of her points just by working hard. And when she got a mismatch inside, her teammates got the ball to he and she made her shots.”

Effingham’s shooting was red hot. The Lady Hearts connected on 24-of-39 attempts overall, a sizzling 61 percent clip. They were 6-for-9 from long range and 7-for-12 at the foul line.

The Lady Hearts are now 19-4 on the season. They will now face either Centralia or Greenville in the championship game. That is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Saturday.