The Lady Hearts got plenty of shots, putting up 64. But they made just 22, a rather cool 34 percent clip. That included just 4-of-18 from three-point range.

“We’ve just got to keep shooting it,” EHS coach Jeff Schafer said. “We got really good shots today. The darn thing just wouldn’t go in.

“I thought the girls let their shooting affect our defense at times,” Schafer added. “We got a little lackadaisical. But I did like how they kept playing and battling.”

Just 11 seconds into the game, Bella Austin drilled a three from the top of the key. But the Lady Hearts then missed their next seven shots and turned the ball over five times. About 4½ minutes into the first quarter, they found themselves trailing 9-3.

But as would be the case throughout, every time the Lady Hilltoppers made a move, the team in the white uniforms responded. And in the final three minutes of the opening period, the Lady Hearts responded in a flurry.

Averie Wolfe sparked the 10-0 run with a short jumper. The EHS defense then forced turnovers on four consecutive Hillsboro possessions, and each time, the Lady Hearts converted those into points. Austin got the first basket, followed by a layup, a three-pointer and a free throw -- all by Wolfe -- to put the Hearts on top, 13-9.

It was 13-11 at the end of the opening quarter.

A shot from long range by Ella Greenwood gave the Lady Hilltoppers their last lead of the game, 16-15, a minute into the second period. Alyssa Martin then hit a free throw and Sydney Donaldson added a score -- both after grabbing offensive rebounds -- and Saige Althoff and Martin turned a pair of Hillsboro turnovers into a baskets. Austin then capped the 9-0 run with a jumper that put EHS on top, 24-16.

But, again, the Lady Hilltoppers were able to close the gap. Two Effingham turnovers aided their cause, as Hillsboro got within 28-24 at halftime.

By halftime, the Lady Hearts defense had forced 14 turnovers.

“I thought our pressure really flustered their guards,” Schafer said. “That’s probably why Averie was named MVP. Her defense was excellent.

“Saige also did an excellent job on No. 10 (Ella Greenwood),” If you had told me she would only get two threes in this game, I would have taken that. Saige really contained her.”

As for the full-court press, even though it did force some turnovers, Schafer said his squad was still learning.

“It’s okay to gamble a little on the press, but you’ve still got to get back to prevent easy baskets,” he explained. “But we’re getting better at it.”

Effingham opened the second half with a basket by Wolfe and a three by Austin to increase the lead to nine, 33-24. Another three-pointer, this time by Tessa Raddatz, made it a double-digit margin, 36-26, midway through the third period.

But the Lady Hilltoppers took advantage of a couple errant passes to close within 38-31, heading into the final eight minutes.

“We got our share of steals, but we turned it over too many times,” Schafer noted. “We’ve got to take batter care of the basketball.”

If there was any doubt as to the final outcome, the Lady Hearts put that to rest immediately. Austin and Wolfe both hit jumpers and Donaldson scored twice on offensive putbacks. After a Hillsboro bucket, Donaldson made a pair of free throws – again after hitting the offensive boards. Beals then broke free underneath for a basket and Donaldson scored again, capping the 14-2 scoring burst that ballooned the gap to 19 points, 52-33, with 3:06 to play.

The Lady Hilltoppers scored the final eight points of the game to get with a dozen.

“That’s a good team we beat today,” Schafer said. “They have depth, and they have five kids that can score. I was real pleased with our overall play.”

The Greenwood sisters – Amya and Ella – scored 11 and 10 points respectively for Hillsboro, which dipped to 16-7 for the season.

The Lady Hilltoppers shot 33 percent for the game, connecting on 17-of-51 attempts. They were 2-for-11 from behind the arc and 4-for-6 at the line.

The Lady Hearts had three players in double figures. Austin led the way with 14 points, while Donaldson and Wolfe both scored 12. Donaldson turned in a double-double, also grabbing 13 rebounds. Martin was in double figures for rebounds, finishing with 10. EHS also had 20 turnovers.

Both Wolfe and Donaldson were named to the all-tournament, with Wolfe being named the Most Valuable Player.

Effingham improved to 18-5. They will play three times next week – Thursday at home against Mattoon; Friday at Teutopolis; and Saturday at Mahomet-Seymour. Thursday and Saturday are Apollo Conference games.

“This is when we start down the home stretch,” Schafer said. “We’ve got some tough games coming up. Now is the time to tighten things up. Everybody knows their roles by now. Hopefully, by the end of the year, we’ll be shooting it better. Time will tell. But we have to keep shooting the ball.”