But the next six seconds decided the final outcome. First, Hayley Diveley was fouled and made a free throw with 38 seconds left. And just three seconds later, after a Charleston turnover, Callie Feldhake was fouled and made both charity tosses to make it a five-point spread, 49-44.
That was also the fifth foul on Littleford, leaving the Lady Trojans without much scoring power in the final seconds. Littleford scored 33 of her team’s 44 points, including all 15 in the final quarter.
“We fought all the way,” said EHS coach Jeff Schafer. “We knew they (Charleston) would just keep coming at us. They always play hard. We had too many turnovers, but our free throw shooting in that fourth quarter was outstanding.”
The game was close and see-sawed back and forth through 3½ quarters.
Littleford netted 10 points in the opening eight minutes, helping the Lady Trojans build a 15-11 lead.
“We played man-to-man against her and tried to provide a little extra help when we could,” Schafer noted. “We wanted to make her earn her points. She’s just a very good player.”
Charleston led 19-14, but Frost had a basket and two free throws and Feldhake added a bucket that put the Lady Hearts on top, 20-19. Neither team scored in the final 2:38, so EHS took that one-point edge to the locker room at intermission.
The Lady Trojans had three-point lead midway through the third period when the Lady Hearts went on a run. Ella Niebrugge and Frost both scored to put EHS on top to stay. Armstrong and Frost added two more baskets to complete the 8-2 surge and send the Lady Hearts into the fourth quarter with a 32-29 advantage.
Frost had four points, while Niebrugge, Armstrong and Bushur added two each, helping Effingham build the eight-point lead and set the stage for the final four minutes.
“We made some mistakes tonight, but we played through it,” Schafer said. “We still need someone that really wants to take care of the basketball, but we’re working on that.
“I thought Annie and Taylor really came through for us,” the EHS coach added. “They missed some shots, but they played tough. A double-double for both of them is a good thing. In fact, that’s the second one in a row for Annie.
“And our one senior really stepped up tonight,” Schafer noted. “Callie played the best game of her career. She had 5-6 assists and 5-6 steals and played big down the stretch. She played like a senior should play.”
The Lady Hearts shot 43 percent from the floor, connecting on 16-of-37 attempts. They were 1-for-7 from behind the arc and 17-of-22 from the foul line. They held a substantial 29-13 rebounding edge and turned the ball over 18 times.
“This was an important game for both teams,” Schafer said. “Both of us are playing so many young kids (Effingham played two freshmen and three sophomores; Charleston started four freshmen).
“In fact, this is a big week for us,” Schafer added. “It’s a chance for us to get a couple wins before Christmas. I’m pleased with where our team is right now. I know what I’m going to get from this group. There are 10 kids that will bust their butts the whole game.”
The Lady Hearts improved to 4-3 overall and 1-1 in the Apollo Conference. They will play another conference game at home Thursday against Taylorville.
