Basketball

Too many early turnovers put the Effingham Lady Hearts in a deficit they were never able to recover from.

The Mattoon Green Wave led by as many as 16 points in the first half and then withstood a second half rally to post a 63-52 victory on Effingham’s home court in an Apollo Conference match-up Thursday night.

“We just broke down defensively and didn’t take care of the basketball,” EHS coach Jeff Schafer said. “We had too much individual play and we just let them push us around, especially in that first quarter. That set the tone for the whole game.”

Emily Maple hit back-to-back shots, Ella Conyers connected on a three-pointer and Teygen Sewell converted an EHS turnover into a short jumper, capping a 9-0 run that put Mattoon on top, 15-5, at the 1:48 mark of the opening period.

Three-pointers by Maple and Conyers extended the lead to 21-8 early in the second quarter. Yet another three by Conyers and a basket by Ava Larson after another turnover gave the Green Wave their largest lead of the contest, 28-12, with 2:47 to play in the first half.

It was a 14-point cushion, 31-17, at intermission.

“I don’t understand,” Schafer admitted. “Everything they did we worked on for three days in practice. Then we didn’t come out and execute. Defensively, we just weren’t very good.”

Andrew Wetzel scored 12 points in the fourth quarter, helping Mattoon go on a 21-3 scoring spree and pull away from Effingham, finishing with a 71-46 victory at home in an Apollo Conference contest.

The Green Wave jumped out to a 21-11 lead after the first eight minutes, but the Hearts battled back. They trailed 32-29 at halftime and 50-43 heading into the fourth period.

But Wetzel knocked down a pair of three-pointers to help the hosts seize control down the stretch. He finished with a game-high 19 points, while teammate Bryce Jean added 17.

KJ Kellams led Effingham with 12 points and Hayden Wendling scored 10.

The Hearts are now 2-6 overall and 1-1 in conference play. They will face another Apollo Conference opponent Friday night when they travel to Mahomet-Seymour.

Marion knocked down five three-pointers in the first quarter, opened a double-digit lead and went on to beat Effingham, 69-39, at home Saturday.

Kaden Rogowski and Brody Jackson both hit a pair from long range and Ethan Simmons added another, as the Wildcats raced to a 25-11 advantage in the opening eight minutes. By halftime, the lead had increased to 43-21, as the hosts added three more baskets from behind the arc.

Rogowski finished with a game-high 20 points for the Wildcats.

Cannon Bockhorn led the Hearts with nine points and Rylan Pals added eight.

The Hearts, now 2-5 on the season, will play Tuesday at Mattoon in an Apollo Conference match-up.

This one was over early.

The Effingham Lady Hearts raced to a 21-3 lead and were never threatened, rolling to a 62-14 victory Saturday over North Clay in Louisville.

Alyssa Martin pumped in 12 points in that opening quarter, helping EHS take control. It was 37-9 at halftime and 59-12 after three quarters.

Martin finished with a game-high 20 points, while Saige Althoff added 11.

The Lady Hearts, now 7-1, will return to action Thursday. They will host Mattoon in an Apollo Conference contest.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

It kind of defies logic.

Teams that shoot less than 30 percent and score fewer than 40 points don’t typically experience much success.

And then factor in a post player thrust into being the main ball handler.

But, somehow, the Effingham Hearts made that work.

Yes, the Hearts shot only 26 percent.

Yes, they only scored 39 points.

And, yes, forward Spencer Fox served more as a point guard.

But that combination resulted in a 39-35 win at home over Taylorville in the Apollo Conference opener for both teams.

“I was really worried about our ballhandling tonight,” EHS coach Obie Farmer admitted. “It’s been plaguing us this year. And then our point guard Wade Bushur was sick today. So, I talked to Spencer about bringing the ball up the floor and it was no problem. He did a great job.”

The Hearts had a season low 10 turnovers.

It was a nine-minute stretch in the first half that made the difference in the game.