By Steve Raymond
ET Sports Report
Obie Farmer is a “man” guy.
In other words, he wants to play man-to-man defense virtually all the time.
But knowing Highland had two outstanding guards, he prepared to play a triangle-and-2 defense.
When it was learned one of those guards – Jake Ottensmeier – was injured and wouldn’t play, Farmer still planned to employ a 1-2-2 zone press – for at least three possessions.
As it turns out, he used that zone almost the entire game and it made a huge difference.
The Hearts pressure never allowed Highland to get comfortable, especially at the offensive end. EHS then used a big third quarter to build a double-digit lead and went on to post a 53-42 win Wednesday night in an opening-round game of the Effingham-Teutopolis Christmas Classic, played on the Hearts home floor.
“We knew we had to control their guards,” Farmer explained. “(Cade) Altadonna and Ottensmeier are very good players. Ottensmeier would have been one of the best guards in this tournament. Our goal was to keep that team uncomfortable.
“We used that zone press almost the whole game,” Farmer added. “It’s the most zone, by far, I’ve played in one game in my entire career. I really thought I’d run it about three possessions and go back to man-to-man. But it worked out really well for us. I’m incredibly pleased. There’s a pretty good chance you’ll see that defense again.”
The Effingham Lady Hearts pitched a shutout in the first half, en route to lopsided 49-7 victory over Danville Wednesday.
That gave EHS a 4-1 record and second place finish in the Charleston Holiday Tournament.
Effingham led 14-0 after the opening eight minutes and 30-0 at intermission. Danville scored all five of its points in the third period, but still trailed 44-5.
The Lady Hearts had 11 players score in the contest. Saige Althoff and Bria Beals led the way with eight points each.
Effingham improved to 12-4 on the season. The Lady Hearts will return to action on Saturday, Jan. 7, with an Apollo Conference game at Mt. Zion.
By Steve Raymond
ET Sports Report
As the final seconds ticked off the clock, Jeff Schafer admitted it was a “pretty cool” moment.
Schafer has been roaming the sidelines for 25 years. He has built a terrific girls basketball program, and as a result, the wins have continued to pile up.
But when that final buzzer sounded late Monday afternoon, the veteran Effingham coach had accomplished something no other coach in the history of EHS basketball has ever done.
Win 459 games.
“I can’t say I haven’t been thinking about it,” Schafer said. “It’s nice to get it done and over with. It’s been a bit of a distraction.
“This means a lot, though, especially being an Effingham kid and playing there,” he added. “It also means a lot to have done all of this at the same school.
“But you can’t do all this by yourself,” Schafer continued. “I want to thank my assistants. They have been great through the years. I’ve also been fortunate to have some great players that have played hard, had fun and played for each other. It’s been a great experience for me.”
The Effingham Lady Hearts used a big second half to rally and post a 60-53 victory over Tri-County in an opening-round game of the Charleston Holiday Tournament.
But the milestone victory didn’t come easy. It required some – you guessed it – coaching.
The Effingham Lady Hearts raced to a 22-2 lead and then cruised to a 74-17 victory over Charleston Tuesday afternoon to improve to 3-0 in the Charleston Holiday Tournament.
Alyssa Martin scored eight points and Saige Althoff added six more, as EHS broke the game open early. Bria Beals scored nine points in the second period and the Lady Hearts owned a 44-9 advantage at intermission.
Beals led three players in double figures with a game-high 20 points. Althoff finished with 14 and Martin added 12.
The Lady Hearts are now 12-4 overall. They will finish tournament play today (Wednesday) with a 4:30 p.m. game against Danville.
By Steve Raymond
ET Sports Report
The 9th annual Effingham-Teutopolis Christmas Classic will be another good one.
The 2022 field will feature 16 quality basketball teams and some outstanding individual players that should provide plenty of offensive fireworks, vital defensive stops and three days of non-stop competitive action.
Following is a brief look at the teams that will be competing in this year’s tournament.
Belvidere Bucs
The Bucs will be making their second appearance in the holiday tournament.
Head coach Brian Koehne welcomed back seven varsity letter winners from last year’s squad that finished 6-27 overall. His top returners include three seniors – 5’10” guard David Guerrero; 6’ guard Ryan Jensen; and 6’6” forward Ryan Beaudet; and junior Jason Dean, a 6’ guard.
“Our experience has helped us become a tougher and more resilient team than last year,” Koehne said. “They compete all game long and have overcome several early deficits.”
After a couple tough losses in the Thanksgiving tournament, the Bucs bounced back with a hard-fought win over Richmond-Burton and started their conference season with a win against Rockford East, rallying from 15 points down in the second half.
Koehne said keys to this season will be his team’s defense and ball security.
The Bucs are part of the NIC-10 Conference.
Champaign Centennial Chargers
Head Coach Tim Lavin says solid team defense and the ability to share the ball to create good open shots will be a key for his squad this season.
The Chargers are making their third trip to the tournament. After an opening round loss last year, Centennial won three straight games to win the consolation bracket.
Top players returning for Coach Lavin are Todd Makabu, a 6’ guard that averages 11 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists; and Kellen Davis, also a 6’ guard that scores 6 points a game, while pulling down 5 rebounds and handing out two assists.
The Chargers, who are part of the Big 12 Conference, finished 17-13 overall a year ago.
Charleston Trojans
The Trojans have been part of the tournament since its inception and will be making their ninth appearance.
Coach Andrew Alexander has two standout players returning from a squad that finished 18-11 a year ago. Senior William Applegate is a 6’2” shooting guard that averaged 12 points a game. Fellow senior Caleb Oakley is a 6’2” point guard that scored at a 9-point clip.
Coach Alexander said athletic guards, improved three-point shooting and consistent intensity on defense are the strengths of his team this year.
“Buying into the defensive end, having five guys working together to control the glass and playing with pace and poise will be the keys to our success,” the coach noted.
Charleston plays in the Apollo Conference.
Chicago Brooks Eagles
The Eagles will be making their seventh trip to the tournament and return as defending champions.
They went 4-0 last year, defeating Belvidere, Effingham and Oak Lawn to reach the championship. Brooks then posted a 53-46 win over Lincoln-Way East in the final game.
Once again, they will bring a quick and athletic team that likes to pressure the basketball and play at an up-tempo pace. The top returning player is Anthony Vaval, a 5’10” senior that averages 14 points and 5 rebounds a game. He was a member of last year’s all-tournament team
Chicago Brooks is coached by George Montgomery, the former Illinois standout and fan favorite. He said, “once we start jelling, we will be a pretty good team.”
The Eagles play in the Red South Conference.
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