By Steve Raymond
ET Sports Report
From the outhouse to the penthouse.
That’s the journey Andrew Splechter took Friday morning.
“I felt like Andrew could bring more than he did the last couple games. I talked to him about it and he agreed,” Effingham coach Obie Farmer said. “I need kids that are going to play hard, so we brought him in off the bench today.”
Splechter scored seven points in the second quarter that kept the Hearts within striking distance. But he saved his best for last, pumping in 15 points in the fourth period to help Effingham post a 55-46 victory over Oak Lawn in the seventh place game of the Effingham-Teutopolis Christmas Classic.
“When I put him in for the first time, I looked at him and said, ‘Let’s see it,’” Farmer added. “He knows our expectations and he came through in a big way. Andrew performed like a grown man today. I’m proud of him.”
With 3:54 left in the third period, the Hearts found themselves trailing the Spartans, 35-23. But that’s when the remarkable comeback began.
A pair of free throws by Splechter started a decisive run by EHS. Gunner Brown, who replaced Splechter in the starting lineup, the scored the next six points to trim the lead to 35-31 heading into the fourth period.
Spencer Fox scored after grabbing an offensive rebound and Splechter converted consecutive Oak Lawn turnovers in baskets to cap the 14-0 scoring spree and give the Hearts their first lead since it was 6-2.
“We started attacking the basket much better,” Farmer noted. “We started using our shot fakes and they bit. We were able to beat them off dribble. We got a few layups, hit some shots and finished at the rim.”
The Champaign Centennial Chargers needed a fourth quarter rally to get past Effingham in a third-round game of the Effingham-Teutopolis Christmas Classic on Thursday night.
The underdog Hearts outscored Centennial 28-17 over the middle two quarters to erase an eight-point first-quarter deficit and take 33-30 advantage into the final eight minutes.
But the Chargers outscored the Hearts 19-11 in that final period to get the victory.
Preston Sledge pace Centennial with a game-high 19 points.
The Hearts had three players in double figures. Garrett Wolfe led the way with 13 points, while Andrew Donaldson scored 12 and Logan Heil added 10.
The Hearts dipped to 5-10 on the season. They will play in the seventh place at 11:30 a.m. Friday against Oak Lawn. That game will be in the EHS main gym. Centennial will face Chicago Brooks in the fifth place contest at 3 p.m.
Here is a recap of the other games played Thursday night.
Lincoln-Way East 65; Pleasant Plains 31
The LWE Griffins showed why they are considered the tournament favorites, jumping out to a big lead and then rolling to a 65-31 victory over Pleasant Plains.
Lincoln-Way East will now face Teutopolis for the tournament championship at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
The Griffins raced to a 25-11 lead in the opening eight minutes. By halftime, the lead had expanded to 36-13.
George Bellevue was the team’s only scorer in double figures, finishing with 18 points. Ten different LWE players cracked the scoring column. Zach Powell had 10 points for Pleasant Plains.
The Cardinals will now face St. Anthony in the third place game. That contest is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday.
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 Hearts almost pulled off a second straight surprise.
After upsetting Highland Wednesday night, the Hearts battled Pleasant Plains all the way Thursday afternoon before falling 73-72 in overtime in a second-round game of the Effingham-Teutopolis Christmas Classic.
Effingham, now 1-1 in tourney play, will face Champaign Centennial later today (Thursday). That game is scheduled for 6 p.m. at EHS Gymnasium. Pleasant Plains will face Lincoln-Way East at 7:30 p.m.
Pleasant Plains looked like it might pull away early, building a 19-8 lead after the opening eight minutes. But the Hearts responded with a 27-11 scoring spree in the second quarter to take a 35-30 lead at halftime. The Cardinals outscored EHS 33-28 in the second half to forge a tie, 63-63.
A pair of free throws by Zach Powell with 31 seconds left in the OT session gave the Cardinals a 72-68 edge. Gunner Brown then drained a three 12 seconds later to trim the margin to 72-70.
Owen Johnson made a free throw with 18 seconds to play to make it a three-point spread and the Hearts could only answer with a two-pointer at the buzzer to finish with a one-point deficit.
Powell led all scorers with 31 points.
The Hearts had five players in double figures. Garrett Wolfe led the way with 21 points, while Andrew Splechter scored 17, Logan Heil and Andrew Donaldson both finished with 11 and Brown added 10.
The Hearts are now 5-9 on the season.
Here is a recap of the other games played early in the day Thursday.
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.
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