It was a game Effingham led from early in the opening period. The lead fluctuated between two and nine points in the first half. Had the Lady Hearts not committed as many turnovers and hit shots more consistently, the lead could have been much larger.

EHS held a 13-9 lead after the first quarter. Callie Feldhake opened the second period with a three, and after back-to-back baskets by Annie Frost, the margin grew to 20-11. But Taylorville trimmed the deficit to 20-14 at intermission and then scored the first five points of the third quarter to make it a one-point game, 20-19.

“Everything we practiced for tonight, the girls did,” Schafer noted. “Our defense was excellent and we got great shots on offense. We just need to make them.

“At times, though, I didn’t think we matched Taylorville’s intensity,” the EHS coach added. “When things got a little rougher, we didn’t respond. When we got the lead, it looked like the girls were satisfied rather than wanting to put the game away. We need to improve on that.”

Frost led Effingham’s scoring attack with 14 points and Diveley finished with 11. Frost also pulled down a game-high eight rebounds.

The Lady Hearts shot just 39 percent from the floor, making 17-of-44 attempts. They were 5-for-13 from long range and 2-of-5 from the free throw line. EHS held a commanding 26-15 edge on the boards, but did turn the ball over 20 times.

“Four or five of those turnovers were good ones. We were trying to either make the extra pass or make something happen,” Schafer said. “But 20 is too many.”

The Lady Hearts improved to 5-3 overall and 2-1 in the Apollo Conference. They will play two road conference games next week – Monday at Mahomet-Seymour and Saturday at Mt. Zion.