Thornton Fractional North jumped out to a first-quarter lead and were never headed Thursday night, en route to a 61-50 win over Effingham in an opening-round game of the 71st annual Salem Invitational Basketball Tournament.
Jayden Small knocked down a pair of three-pointers and scored eight points, as the Meteors jumped out to a 16-6 lead. The Hearts were within seven points at halftime, 30-23, and after three quarter, 41-34. TF North then outscored Effingham 20-16 in the final eight minutes to secure the win.
“We struggled with their pressure and didn’t rebound as well as we should have,” EHS coach Obie Farmer said. “It was like we were moving in slow motion against them. They are quick and aggressive and had a hand on everything.”
Garrett Wolfe led the Hearts with a game-high 19 points and Andrew Donaldson added 11.
Effingham, now 8-13 on the season, will play two games on Saturday. The Hearts will face Salem at 12:30 p.m. The winner of that game will be in the consolation championship at 5 p.m. The loser will play for 7th place at 3:30 p.m.
By Steve Raymond
ET News Report
Madison Mapes had four three-pointers in the first five minutes of the game to help the Effingham Lady Hearts grab an early lead.
And then with the game on the line, she went 6-for-6 from the foul line in the final 53 seconds to help her team secure a victory.
Mapes had a terrific game at both ends of the floor. The senior point guard knocked down seven shots from behind the arc and finished with 27 points. In addition, she pulled down 11 rebounds to complete the double-double.
The combination of all that was a key reason the Lady Hearts came away with a 55-46 win Thursday night in a semifinal game of the Vandalia Mid-Winter Tournament.
Effingham will now face Mascoutah for the tournament championship. That game is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
Mapes missed all four of her shots from inside the arc, but behind it, she was on fire, finishing 7-for-8. That included a 4-for-4 start. Her fourth three gave the Lady Hearts a 17-7 lead just five minutes into the contest. Ella Niebrugge and Bria Beals both connected from long range and Sidney Donaldson converted a Vandalia turnover into a late basket, giving EHS a 22-10 lead after the opening eight minutes.
Talk about a game being over quick.
The Effingham Lady Hearts pitched a shutout in the first quarter, building a 26-0 lead, and then coasted to a 73-6 victory over Madison in an opening-round game of the Vandalia Mid-Winter Tournament.
Eight different players scored in the first period, as the Lady Hearts quickly took control and turned the game into a rout. By halftime, it was 47-3, and it was 67-6 after three quarters.
Bria Beals scored 11 points and Alyssa Martin added 10 for EHS. All 14 players got into the scoring column during the game.
The Lady Hearts improved to 15-6 overall. They will now face the host Vandalia team in the semifinals. That game is set for 6 p.m. Wednesday.
The Effingham Hearts jumped out to a quick lead and maintained it throughout, finishing with a 54-46 win at home Tuesday night over Dieterich.
Logan Heil scored eight points and Andrew Donaldson added more, including a three-pointer, helping the Hearts build a 17-6 lead after the first quarter. Garrett Wolfe scored six points and Donaldson connected on another three, as EHS expanded its lead to 28-15 at intermission.
The Movin’ Maroons went on a 12-2 run in the third period to close the gap. Caleb Gephart sparked that surge, scoring 11 of his game-high 18 points, to get Dieterich to within 35-30. But Wolfe scored five points, Andrew Splechter added four and Gunner Brown knocked down a three, helping the Hearts maintain their lead and secure the victory.
Dieterich, who also got nine points from Lucas Westendorf, dipped to 10-8 on the season.
Wolfe and Heil finished in double figures for Effingham, scoring 15 and 14 points respectively.
The Hearts improved to 8-12 overall. They will open play in the Salem Invitational Basketball Tournament on Thursday night. They will face Thornton Fractional North at 8 p.m.
By Steve Raymond
ET Sports Report
“Just keep playing.”
That was the advice Effingham coach Obie Farmer gave his team at halftime.
“I think they were expecting me to yell at them, but what are you going to do?” Farmer said. “We contested every shot. They just shot lights out. Thirty of their 34 points came off three-pointers.”
Taylorville did indeed knock down 10 shots from long range in the first 16 minutes and open a double-digit lead at intermission.
“I just told the boys to keep playing and that we would weather the storm,” Farmer noted.
He was right.
The Tornados cooled off, the Hearts made some adjustments and Garrett Wolfe and Logan Heil combined to score 31 second-half points.
The combination of all that resulted in a 55-53 Effingham victory Friday night at home.
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