By Steve Raymond
ET Sports Report
The third quarter bugaboo struck again Monday night.
After playing a strong first half, the Effingham Hearts struggled again in the third period and Mt. Vernon took advantage.
The Rams scored the final 13 points of the third quarter and finished with a 19-0 run that broke open a tight game. They finished with a 56-37 win at home.
That’s after playing Mt. Vernon on even terms the first 16 minutes.
Baskets by Ethan Ritz and Logan Heil staked the Hearts to a quick 4-0 lead, but it was their only lead of the game. The Rams got three-pointers from Calan Kujawa and Colin McClure to seize the lead. Mt. Vernon was up 10-8 after the first eight minutes.
A turnover that resulted in a dunk by NJ Benson gave the Rams a five-point advantage, but Garret Wolfe knocked down a three and then hit a pair of free throws to knot the score, 16-16, midway through the second period. Mt. Vernon then went on a 7-0 run, but EHS closed the half with another three by Wolfe and a pair of free throws by Quest Hull to get within 23-21 at intermission.
The Effingham Lady Hearts will play for the regional championship.
They earned a berth in the title game by posting a 52-41 victory over Olney (Richland County) in an opening-round game of the Class 3A Effingham Regional. It was their second win in five days over the Lady Tigers.
The Lady Hearts used a 20-11 scoring run in the final eight minutes to turn a slim lead into a double-digit win. Madison Mapes scored seven points, including four straight free throws down the stretch, and Ella Niebrugge drilled a three-pointer and added six more to help EHS pull away.
Effingham led 9-3 after the opening period, but Olney got within 18-17 at halftime. It was still a tight game after three quarters, with the hosts holding a slim 32-30 edge.
Kenzie Weiler scored a game-high 17 points for the Lady Tigers, who ended their season at 14-16.
Niebrugge and Meredith Schaefer paced EHS with 12 and 10 points respectively. Mapes finished with nine.
The Lady Hearts improved to 21-10 overall and will now look to capture a regional plaque for the first time since 2019. They will play Mt. Vernon at 7 p.m. Friday. The Lady Rams reached the championship game by beating Charleston 63-21 in Monday night’s first game.
The Effingham Hearts made the long trip to Lincoln Friday night and dropped a 42-29 decision to the Apollo Conference-leading Railsplitters.
The hosts got 11 first-quarter points from Peyton Cook and jumped out to an 18-4 lead after the opening eight minutes. It was 26-13 at halftime and 36-21 after three quarters.
Cook was the only player in the game to crack double figures, finishing with 16. The Hearts got nine points from Armando Estrada, eight from Ethan Ritz and seven from Brayden Pals, who returned to the lineup after a hand injury had sidelined him for several weeks.
The Hearts dipped to 9-18 on the season overall and 1-10 in the Apollo Conference. It will be a quick turnaround for the EHS boys. They will be back in action Saturday in the Wooden Shoes Shootout in Teutopolis. Effingham will play the opening game and face Champaign Centennial at 1 p.m.
By Steve Raymond
ET Sports Report
How quickly things can change in a basketball game.
Through the first three quarters, the Effingham Flaming Hearts had controlled the pace of the game, was playing pretty well at both ends of the floor, owned a slim lead and had put themselves in position for a potential win.
But the Champaign Centennial Chargers didn’t let that happen.
They ramped up their pressure on defense, got an offensive explosion from their best player and turned the game completely around in what seemed like the blink of an eye.
After scoring just 39 points in the first three periods, Centennial erupted for 39 more in the final eight minutes to come away with a 78-61 win Saturday afternoon in the opening game of the 9th annual Wooden Shoes Shootout in Teutopolis.
After Armando Estrada hit a short jumper, the Hearts owned a 42-39 advantage heading into that final quarter. Nobody in J.H Griffin Gymnasium could have expected what happened next.
The Chargers came out in a swarming zone trap defense that created problems. Effingham turned the ball six times before it got a shot. Its only two points over the first three minutes were a pair of free throws by Garret Wolfe.
When a team gets shut out for an entire quarter, it rarely wins a basketball game.
The exception to that rule happened Thursday night in Mt. Zion.
The Effingham Lady Hearts missed all 12 of their shots in the second period, didn’t score a single point and trailed 10-9 at halftime.
But the second half was a different story.
The Lady Hearts poured in 43 points over the final 16 minutes and rolled to a 52-30 road victory in the regular season and Apollo Conference finale.
That win was the 20th of the season for Effingham and the 13th time Coach Jeff Schafer has guided his team to 20 or more wins in his career.
That win looked a bit elusive in the first half, however. The Lady Hearts led 9-5 after the opening period, but then went ice cold and trailed by a point at halftime.
But things changed quickly in the third period. After being held scoreless in the first half, Madison Mapes knocked down three shots from behind the arc to spark a 20-9 scoring surge that put the Lady Hearts in control.
EHS didn’t let up in the final period. Mapes scored seven more and Meredith Schaefer connected on a pair of threes, helping the Lady Hearts close out the game on a 22-11 run and secure the 22-point win.
Mapes finished with a game-high 16 points, while Schaefer was also in double figures with 14.
The Lady Hearts finished the regular season at 20-10 overall and 6-6 in the Apollo. They will now prepare for the postseason and return to action Monday night. They are hosting the Class 3A Regional and will face Richland County (Olney) at 7:30 p.m.
Page 28 of 63
