It took the Effingham Lady Hearts a little while to get going.

But once they did, everything was fine.

After falling behind 9-0 to start the game, the Lady Hearts battled their way back, turned in a strong second half and posted a 60-53 season-opening victory Monday night at Robinson.

Marisa Zane scored nine points of her game-high 24 points in the opening eight minutes, helping the Lady Maroons build the quick, early lead. After scoring the first nine points of the game, the hosts were still on top, 21-13, at the end of the first period.

But Effingham began narrowing the gap in the second quarter. Alyssa Martin scored seven points and Saige Althoff added four more, helping the Lady Hearts get within 30-28 at intermission.

EHS had a slim 41-39 lead heading into the final period and then outscored Robinson 19-14 in the final eight minutes to finish with the seven-point win.

“We got a big lift from Saige,” EHS coach Jeff Schafer said. “She kept us afloat that first half.

“After the first four minutes, we played really well,” Schafer added. “We beat a very good team. We showed a lot of poise and played a great second half. Alyssa had an outstanding game for us.”

Martin led the Lady Hearts in scoring with 17 points. Althoff and Averie Wolfe also reached double figures with 11 and 10 points respectively. Althoff, who had 10 of her points in the first half, also grabbed seven rebounds, while Bella Austin had five steals.

Effingham will return to action at home Friday night against Dieterich and will then compete next week in the Bob Kerans Thanksgiving Tournament in Newton.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

Taking care of the basketball.

That’s something every coach of every basketball team at every level stresses.

Turnovers generally have a negative impact on a game.

Unfortunately, the Effingham Lady Hearts were reminded of that Friday night.

They turned the ball over 24 times in the game, including four in the final 90 seconds, and that proved to be too much to overcome.

The Mattoon Lady Green Wave took advantage of those miscues, plus they knocked down nine three-pointers, to come away with a 56-54 win in the championship game of the Class 3A Mattoon Regional.

The Lady Green Wave now advance to the Centralia Sectional. They will face Highland at 6 p.m. Tuesday night.

“We talked all year about taking care of the basketball,” EHS coach Jeff Schafer said. “We just didn’t value the ball tonight, and as a result, we wasted too many opportunities.”

Yet, the Lady Hearts battled to the very end.

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By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

A couple days before the postseason opener, EHS coach Obie Farmer was asked his thoughts about facing Marion.

“They’ve got a really good player,” he said. “If we can contain him, I think we can play with them.”

That “really good player” Farmer was referring to was 6’4” Evan Noelle. Unfortunately for the Hearts, they couldn’t contain him. He went 15-for-24 from the floor, including two shots from long range, and scored 39 points.

Despite that, the Hearts did play with the host Wildcats. EHS held a nine-point lead in the opening half and was still within five points in the final minute.

But Noelle was simply too much to overcome. The talented senior netted 16 of his points in the final quarter, including four free throws in the final 37 seconds, helping Marion come away with a 69-61 victory in a quarterfinal game of the Class 3A Mt. Vernon Regional.

“He’s one of the best players we’ve seen all year,” Farmer admitted. “We did everything we could do defensively. Sometimes, it’s just hard to stop some players. He shoots off the dribble and from the volleyball line. He’s very athletic and knows how to attack the basket.”

After a three-pointer from Spencer Fox and a jumper by Garrett Wolfe, the Hearts were within three points, 52-49, at the 4:36 marfk of the fourth quarter. But Noelle responded with a personal 7-0 run that included a three-point play, that expanded the margin to double digits, 59-49, the Wildcats largest lead of the contest.

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The Mt. Zion Braves completed an undefeated Apollo Conference season Thursday night by posting a 67-43 win at home over Effingham.

Mt. Zion placed four players in double figures, en route to their 12^th straight league win without a defeat.

The Braves led 18-13 after the first period and increased that to double digits by halftime, 35-24. The hosts then outscored the Hearts 19-9 in the third quarter to take total control of the contest.

Carson Cuddy had 14 points, while Brayden Trimble scored 12 and both Grant McAtee and Lyncoln Koester added 11 for Mt. Zion, which improved to 27-4 overall on the season.

Andrew Splechter led Effingham with 15 points and Andrew Donaldson added 13.

The Hearts dipped to 11-19 overall and finished conference play at 4-7. They will open postseason play Saturday. They will travel to Marion for a quarterfinal round game of the Mt. Vernon Class 3A Regional. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.