Free throws by Annie Frost and Kennedy Sowell produced the only two points of the quarter for EHS. The Lady Hearts missed all 11 of their shots from the floor and never threatened the Lady Cyclones down the stretch.

“We just have to score,” Schafer said. “In that third period, we had good chances to score on five straight possessions, but couldn’t make shots. I kept thinking they had to start falling sooner or later, but they never did. We only took three or four bad shots the entire game. We just have to find a way to score.”

It looked like Sacred Heart Griffin might pull away early in the contest. The Lady Cyclones scored the first eight points of the game before Hayley Diveley connected on a three. But that was the only shot EHS hit in the opening eight minutes and trailed 10-3.

A bucket by Meghan Wegner made it a nine-point deficit before the Lady Hearts made a surge of their own. It started with back-to-back baskets by Annie Frost and the aggressive play of guard Grace Bushur off the bench.

Sawyer Althoff hit a free throw and Bushur scored four straight points to get Effingham to within 14-12. SHG led 16-12 at intermission.

“Our guards were very passive to start the game, but Grace gave us a lift,” Schafer said. “She’s always paying attention to what I’m saying and then carries it onto the court. I like that.”

Althoff made a shot from behind the arc, Feldhake converted an SHG turnover into a layup and Diveley hit a short jumper to keep Effingham within 22-19 at the 4:22 mark of the third quarter. But that was the final shot the Lady Hearts were able to make and the Lady Cyclones pulled away.

Althoff led EHS with six points, while Frost and Diveley both scored five. Lowis led all scorers with 16.

EHS shot a frigid 23 percent overall, making just 9-of-39 attempts. The Lady Hearts were 2-of-11 from long range and 5-of-8 from the foul line. Frost pulled down a game-high eight rebounds, but SHG held a 29-26 rebounding advantage. Effingham turned the ball over 20 times.

Frost, just a freshman, had a very good tournament and was named to the all-tournament team.

“Overall, getting to the third place game was good,” Schafer said. “I thought we came together more as a unit during this tournament and showed some maturity at times. We just have to figure out how to score better.”

The Lady Hearts, now 7-7 on the season, will return to action at home Monday, Jan. 6 against Mt. Vernon.