“We’ve got three players – Parker (Wolfe), Nate and Stonie – that have been in these games before,” Farmer noted. “They know what’s required. They just step up and do a little more. They’re very good players.”

Stoneburner hit a pair of early threes, but Mahomet-Seymour owned a four-point lead midway through the opening period. Parker Wolfe then added two from long range and Thompson had four points to help EHS take a 19-14 advantage into the second period.

Garrett Wolfe scored seven points, Jakob Logan added a bucket and Parker Wolfe completed a three-point play to put the Hearts up 31-20 at the 4:18 mark of the second period.

But with Thompson and Stoneburner sitting on the bench with early foul trouble, the Bulldogs were able to come roaring back. They closed the half on a 13-2 scoring run, including the final eight points, to tie the game at 33-33 when the two teams headed to the locker room at intermission.

“We play fast. That’s our style,” Farmer explained. “A 10-point lead for us is like a 5-point lead for other teams. We like to score quick, which creates more possessions. A big lead for us is not as big as it looks, especially if we miss a few shots or turn the ball over.”

The hosts scored six quick points to open the second half and led 39-36. But the Hearts then started connecting from long range. Garrett Wolfe and Parker Wolfe both knocked down a pair and Stoneburner added another. Heading into the final eight minutes, that three-point deficit had turned into a six-point lead, 54-48.

“Our guys played through some adversity,” Farmer said. “They’ve done that a few times already this season. We do what we have to do to win.”

The Hearts had four players in double figures. Parker Wolfe had a game-high 23 points. Garrett Wolfe and Stoneburner both had career high performances, finishing with 18 and 15 points respectively. Thompson added 11.

“Typically, when you have four guys in double figures, you’re looking at a 14-15 point win,” Farmer said. “But not being able to even practice for a few days because of the weather showed. We didn’t play well overall. Scoring was not a problem, but we got beat on the boards and we were poor on defense.”

On a night when Thompson was held way below his 24-point average, it was nice to have Garrett Wolfe and Stoneburner step up.

“You can’t just stop one or two guys when you play us,” Farmer noted. “If you focus on just Parker and Nate, Garrett and Stonie can hurt you. Garrett is gaining in confidence and starting to shoot lights out just like his older brothers. And Stonie has been shooting the ball well, too. Both of those kids can easily score in double figures.”

For the game, the Hearts shot 49 percent overall, connecting on 27-of-55 attempts. They were 11-for-25 from behind the arc and 6-for-7 from the free throw line. Thompson had a team-high seven rebounds, but Effingham was out-rebounded 33-21.

This game was initially scheduled to be played Tuesday, but got back postponed for a day due to the winter weather.

The Hearts improved to 7-0 overall and 5-0 in Apollo Conference play. They will be in action two more times this week – Friday at Mt. Zion; and Saturday at St. Anthony.