“We had a sizeable lead to start the fourth quarter, but when you play a team like Lincoln with a player like Singleton, a 12-point lead is nothing,” Farmer said. “He is tough to stop. He’s quick with the ball and really attacks the basket.”

On Effingham’s first possession in OT, Parker Wolfe again drove hard to the basket, scored, got fouled and completed the three-point play to put the hearts ahead to stay. Nate Thompson added a bucket and Singleton made a jumper and two free throws. With three minutes to play, EHS was clinging to one-point edge, 48-47.

It stayed that way until Parker Wolfe was fouled with 36 seconds to go. He made both foul shots. After Lincoln failed to score on its next possession, Wolfe was fouled again, and again, calmly made both free throws to make it a 52-47 lead with just 20 ticks remaining.

After Singleton scored yet again for the Railsplitters, Stoneburner was fouled with nine seconds to play. He missed the front end of the bonus, but chased the rebound down in the corner. He quickly got the ball to Parker Wolfe, who was fouled two seconds later. Wolfe made the first free throw to make it a four-point spread. Singleton connected on a 3-pointer at the buzzer, but the Hearts left the floor the winners and the only remaining unbeaten team in the conference.

“Big time players make big time plays and that’s what Parker did for us tonight,” Farmer said. “He had an efficient game and was making his shots. He made himself available to score when we needed it the most. He certainly had some big moments in this game.”

Parker Wolfe knocked down a pair of threes in the opening quarter. Garret Wolfe and Dalton Fox also connected from long range and EHS held a 12-9 lead after the first eight minutes.

The Hearts continued to shoot well in the second period and expanded that lead. Both Wolfe brothers made another 3-pointer and Thompson scored three times. At intermission, EHS held a double-digit lead, 26-15.

“We got off to a good start,” Farmer noted. “We talked a lot about being patient and taking good shots. If you’re going to be successful against Lincoln’s defense, you have to do that. We probably ran 10 times as much time off the clock than we normally do in the flow of our offense, but that’s the way you have to play against them. Because of that, we were able to get good shots and we were making them.”

The Hearts actually threatened to break the game open in the third period. With Parker Wolfe draining a couple more from behind the arc, EHS led by 16 points on two occasions. By the end of the quarter, the Effingham lead was 41-29, setting the stage for a thrilling finish.

Parker Wolfe finished with a game-high 27 points and Thompson added 12. Thompson and Stoneburner both pulled down seven rebounds.

The Hearts shot very well from the floor, making 19-of-34 attempts, a 56 percent clip. They were equally as hot from three-point range, connecting on 9-of-15. They were also 10-of-14 from the foul line.

Singleton poured in 26 points for the Railsplitters, who dipped to 3-1 overall and 2-1 in league play. They shot 39 percent overall, making 16-of-41 shots from the floor. They were 9-of-19 from behind the arc and 11-of-13 from the charity stripe.

“This was a big week for us,” Farmer admitted. “We played the two marquee teams in our conference – Teutopolis and Lincoln – and posted a pair of wins.”

The win keeps the Hearts unbeaten on the season. They are 6-0 overall and 4-0 in Apollo Conference action.

“We know everybody will be gunning for us now,” Farmer noted. “Now we’ve got the target on our back. But that’s okay. We’ve earned that. We beat the two most competitive teams we’ve played so far. Now we just have to keep it up.”

Effingham’s game with Charleston Saturday was cancelled due to COVID issues. The Hearts will return to action Tuesday night at Mahomet-Seymour.