One of the keys in the first 16 minutes was switching defenses by EHS. The girls played some half-court zone, some man-to-man and even went into a full-court zone press.

“I’m trying to find things that work,” Schafer said. “When we switch defenses, we seem to stay more focused. For some reason, it helps keep us in the game better.”

The full court pressure helped spark that run in the second quarter. The Lady Wildcats turned the ball over seven times and the Lady Hearts converted three of those into scores.

“It’s time to start tightening everything up,” the veteran coach continued. “We actually scripted our first five plays at the beginning. It was like an NFL game. We’re trying to find that chemistry and we’re getting better all the time.

“We’re pressing a little more and trying to play a little quicker pace,” Schafer added. “We have some good quickness and need to utilize that as much as possible. When we run the floor and share the basketball, we look good.”

The Lady Hearts built a 20-point lead, 36-16, five minutes into the second half. Salem’s Jordan Kessler hit a three and Natalie Lee then converted an EHS turnover into a pair of free throws to trim the margin to 36-21.

But Effingham scored five points in the final two seconds. Martin made a strong drive to the basket that resulted in a three-point play with two seconds to go. Saige Althoff then stole the inbounds pass and hit a jumper in the lane at the buzzer to restore that 20-point advantage, 41-21, heading into the final quarter.

The Lady Hearts led by as many as 24 points before Salem scored the final six to close it out.

There were some “positives” to take from the game, in addition to the team just getting over all the illness. The EHS defense forced Salem into 19 turnovers, and after a slow start, had a commanding 32-20 rebounding advantage.

And the shooting was a little better Thursday night.

The Lady Hearts have only shot better than 40 percent in a few games this season, which has been surprising. Even though they didn’t crack the 40-percent plateau Thursday night, they were awfully close. The EHS girls connected on 18-of-46 attempts, a 39 percent effort. That included going just 1-for-13 from behind the arc.

“We get good looks every game. We’re just not knocking them down,” Schafer noted. “Historically, we have always shot the ball well. But that’s one thing this team hasn’t done. Yet.”

Martin, who was still “under the weather” and wasn’t in the starting lineup, led the Lady Hearts with 11 points. Wolfe and Donaldson both scored eight and Austin and Beals added seven apiece. Donaldson and Martin also led the team with six rebounds.

“Our defense is pretty good; something we can rely on every game,” Schafer said. “When we rebound, we’re really good. And when we hit our threes, we’re really, really good. That’s what we want to see.”

The Lady Hearts are now 17-5 for the season. They will face Hillsboro in the championship game. The Lady Hilltoppers, who defeated Mattoon and Wesclin in their first two tournament games, are 16-6.