Parker Wolfe had 16 points and Nate Thompson 14 by halftime, but sophomore Garrett Wolfe hit his first three of the season and scored seven points in the second period to help the Hearts built the comfortable lead.

But Farmer still had words of warning for his team at intermission.

“I told them we had to keep playing,” Farmer said. “A team like Mattoon is very athletic and capable of getting out and running, too. As quick as we like to play, that creates a lot of possessions. Considering the style we play, that’s why it was important to keep playing.”

The Green Wave, who got 23 points from Carter Smith, with 13 of those coming in the second half, played on even terms with Effingham during the final two quarters, but was unable to close the gap.

Thompson finished with a game-high 28 points, while Parker Wolfe scored 21 and Garrett Wolfe added 11.

“We’re scoring points, but not many of them are coming from the flow of our offense,” Farmer noted. “Our guys are creative enough on their own if things break down. Our athleticism makes up for that. But we need to work on the flow of our offense. It needs to improve.”

The Hearts, now 2-0 on the young season, will travel to Taylorville for another conference match-up Friday night. EHS will then play Saturday at Casey-Westfield.