“We had a great crowd tonight,” Schafer said. “I told the girls at halftime there was a bunch of people here that wanted to see them go on a run. I knew they could do it and I told them so. But they had to do it defensively.”
His team listened and responded.
The Lady Hearts defense forced Highland to turn the ball over its first three possessions of the third quarter. Alyssa Martin turned one of those into a basket and Bella Austin converted another into a pair of free throws.
And the comeback was on.
The margin was still nine points when Martin hit a jumper, Bria Beals turned in a three-point play after grabbing an offensive rebound and Martin scored three more points. In a little over five minutes, the Lady Hearts had trimmed the 11-point deficit to just one, 26-25.
Highland scored the final four points of the period and carried a 29-25 lead into the final eight minutes.
“We didn’t make any changes in our defense to start the second half,” Schafer noted. “We stayed the course. But the girls got a lot more aggressive and made things happen. We just couldn’t get over the hump.
“Highland plays in-your-grill defense,” Schafer added. “That, along with their size, are their main strengths. But I liked how we continued to attack and how we rebounded. When you’re having trouble scoring, you have to go the boards.”
There wasn’t much scoring in the fourth quarter. The lead fluctuated between three and five points most of the way. Two free throws by Lauren Mass gave the Lady Bulldogs a five-point advantage, 33-28, with 1:43 to play.
Two free throws by Donaldson and another by Beals cut the lead to just two, 33-31, with 33 ticks still showing.
Effingham had its first chance to get even close after Taylor missed two free throws with 21 seconds to go. But the Lady Hearts turned it over 11 seconds later and immediately fouled Frey, who made one of her two shots.
That still gave EHS a chance to tie the contest. Donaldson got a good look and let her shot fly just before the final buzzer sounded.
“Sidney made a nice move to get her shot,” Schafer said. “There were a lot of anxious eyes in the gym while that ball was in the air.”
The high-arching shot looked good, but was just a little off the mark, securing the win for Highland.
Neither team shot the ball well and turned the ball over several times – results of the quality defense both squads played.
The Lady Bulldogs didn’t have a player in double figures. Taylor, the 6’ senior post player, had a strong performance and caused problems for Effingham at both ends of the floor. She scored nine points, blocked nine shots and pulled down 11 rebounds.
Highland shot 34 percent, connecting on 13-of-38 attempts. They were 4-for-19 from long range and 4-for-9 at the foul line. They finished with 16 turnovers.
Martin was the game’s leading scorer with 13 points, while Donaldson finished with eight. The Lady Hearts made just 11-of-40 shots, a cool 28 percent clip. They were 1-for-9 from behind the arc and 8-for-14 at the line. They turned the ball over 19 times.
It was a fantastic season for the Lady Hearts, who finished 29-5. For Coach Schafer, his quest for a 500th coaching victory will have to wait until next year. He now stands at 498.
“We expected to have a good season and we did,” the veteran coach noted. “I enjoyed watching our team progress and seeing our chemistry come around. We got better as a team and closer as a group. They were a fun group to coach.”
Schafer will say goodbye to two seniors – Olivia Moser and Rylea Hodge. But all five starters – and six total players that saw a lot of action – will return.
“We will miss Olivia and Rylea,” Schafer said. “They were a valuable part of our team. But the future is very bright.”
