By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

As the final seconds ticked off the clock, Jeff Schafer admitted it was a “pretty cool” moment.

Schafer has been roaming the sidelines for 25 years. He has built a terrific girls basketball program, and as a result, the wins have continued to pile up.

But when that final buzzer sounded late Monday afternoon, the veteran Effingham coach had accomplished something no other coach in the history of EHS basketball has ever done.

Win 459 games.

“I can’t say I haven’t been thinking about it,” Schafer said. “It’s nice to get it done and over with. It’s been a bit of a distraction.

“This means a lot, though, especially being an Effingham kid and playing there,” he added. “It also means a lot to have done all of this at the same school.

“But you can’t do all this by yourself,” Schafer continued. “I want to thank my assistants. They have been great through the years. I’ve also been fortunate to have some great players that have played hard, had fun and played for each other. It’s been a great experience for me.”

The Effingham Lady Hearts used a big second half to rally and post a 60-53 victory over Tri-County in an opening-round game of the Charleston Holiday Tournament.

But the milestone victory didn’t come easy. It required some – you guessed it – coaching.

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By Steve Raymond

News Report Staff

Overall, Christmas basketball tournaments are struggling.

They are experiencing difficulties attracting schools and spectators.

Some have had to resort to adding junior varsity teams to complete their tournament field.

Some draw so few fans, you wonder how they can afford to turn on the lights or hire officials.

An exception to that is the Effingham & Teutopolis Christmas Classic.

What started as an eight-team event has grown into a 16-team field and other schools have already contacted the tournament committee about getting involved. Where other tournaments can’t fill their brackets, there is a waiting list here.

How is that possible?

That’s easy to answer.

It’s a combination of cooperation, determination, local support and the overwhelming love of basketball that exists here.

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By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

The 9th annual Effingham-Teutopolis Christmas Classic will be another good one.

The 2022 field will feature 16 quality basketball teams and some outstanding individual players that should provide plenty of offensive fireworks, vital defensive stops and three days of non-stop competitive action.

Following is a brief look at the teams that will be competing in this year’s tournament.

Belvidere Bucs

The Bucs will be making their second appearance in the holiday tournament.

Head coach Brian Koehne welcomed back seven varsity letter winners from last year’s squad that finished 6-27 overall. His top returners include three seniors – 5’10” guard David Guerrero; 6’ guard Ryan Jensen; and 6’6” forward Ryan Beaudet; and junior Jason Dean, a 6’ guard.

“Our experience has helped us become a tougher and more resilient team than last year,” Koehne said. “They compete all game long and have overcome several early deficits.”

After a couple tough losses in the Thanksgiving tournament, the Bucs bounced back with a hard-fought win over Richmond-Burton and started their conference season with a win against Rockford East, rallying from 15 points down in the second half.

Koehne said keys to this season will be his team’s defense and ball security.

The Bucs are part of the NIC-10 Conference.

Champaign Centennial Chargers

Head Coach Tim Lavin says solid team defense and the ability to share the ball to create good open shots will be a key for his squad this season.

The Chargers are making their third trip to the tournament. After an opening round loss last year, Centennial won three straight games to win the consolation bracket.

Top players returning for Coach Lavin are Todd Makabu, a 6’ guard that averages 11 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists; and Kellen Davis, also a 6’ guard that scores 6 points a game, while pulling down 5 rebounds and handing out two assists.

The Chargers, who are part of the Big 12 Conference, finished 17-13 overall a year ago.

Charleston Trojans

The Trojans have been part of the tournament since its inception and will be making their ninth appearance.

Coach Andrew Alexander has two standout players returning from a squad that finished 18-11 a year ago. Senior William Applegate is a 6’2” shooting guard that averaged 12 points a game. Fellow senior Caleb Oakley is a 6’2” point guard that scored at a 9-point clip.

Coach Alexander said athletic guards, improved three-point shooting and consistent intensity on defense are the strengths of his team this year.

“Buying into the defensive end, having five guys working together to control the glass and playing with pace and poise will be the keys to our success,” the coach noted.

Charleston plays in the Apollo Conference.

Chicago Brooks Eagles

The Eagles will be making their seventh trip to the tournament and return as defending champions.

They went 4-0 last year, defeating Belvidere, Effingham and Oak Lawn to reach the championship. Brooks then posted a 53-46 win over Lincoln-Way East in the final game.

Once again, they will bring a quick and athletic team that likes to pressure the basketball and play at an up-tempo pace. The top returning player is Anthony Vaval, a 5’10” senior that averages 14 points and 5 rebounds a game. He was a member of last year’s all-tournament team

Chicago Brooks is coached by George Montgomery, the former Illinois standout and fan favorite. He said, “once we start jelling, we will be a pretty good team.”

The Eagles play in the Red South Conference.

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The 9th annual Effingham-Teutopolis Christmas Classic should be a great one.

The field includes 16 quality teams that should provide plenty of competitive games over three days.

This year’s tournament will be played Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, Dec. 28-30. Games will be played in Effingham and Teutopolis.

The full schedule is listed below:

Wednesday, Dec. 28

At Teutopolis

Game 1 – 3 p.m. – Belvidere vs. Oak Lawn

Game 3 – 4:30 p.m. – St. Anthony vs. Lutheran North

Game 5 – 6 p.m. – Dixon vs. Brooks

Game 7 – 7:30 p.m. – Charleston vs. Teutopolis

At Effingham

Game 2 – 3 p.m. – Mattoon vs. Lincoln Way East

Game 4 – 4:30 p.m. – Champaign Centennial vs. Newton

Game 6 – 6 p.m. – Knoxville vs. Pleasant Plains

Game 8 – 7:30 p.m. – Highland vs. Effingham

Thursday, Dec. 29

At Teutopolis

Game 9 – 9 a.m. – Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 3

Game 11 – 10:30 a.m. – Loser Game 5 vs. Loser Game 7

Game 13 – Noon – Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 3

Game 15 – 1:30 p.m. – Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 7

Game 17 – 4:30 p.m. – Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 11

Game 20 – 6 p.m. – Loser Game 13 vs. Loser Game 15

Game 23 – 7:30 p.m. -- Winner Game 13 vs. Winner Game 15

At Effingham (Main Gym)

Game 10 – 9 a.m. – Loser Game 2 vs. Loser Game 4

Game 12 – 10:30 a.m. – Loser Game 6 vs. Loser Game 8

Game 14 – Noon p.m. – Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 4

Game 16 – 1:30 p.m. – Winner Game 6 vs. Winner Game 8

Game 18 – 4:30 p.m. – Winner Game 10 vs. Winner Game 12

Game 22 – 6 p.m. – Loser Game 14 vs. Loser Game 16

Game 24 – 7:30 p.m. – Winner Game 14 vs. Winner Game 16

At Effingham (Auxiliary Gym)

Game 19 – 4:30 p.m. – Loser Game 9 vs. Loser Game 11

Game 21 – 6 p.m. – Loser Game 10 vs. Loser Game 12

Friday, Dec. 30

At Effingham (Auxiliary Gym)

Game 25 – 10 a.m. – Loser Game 19 vs. Loser Game 21 (15th place game)

Game 27 – 11:30 a.m. – Winner Game 19 vs. Winner Game 21 (13^th place game)

At Effingham (Main Gym)

Game 26 – 10 a.m. – Loser Game 17 vs. Loser Game 18 (11th place game)

Game 28 – 11:30 a.m. – Loser Game 20 vs. Loser Game 22 (7th place game)

Game 29 – 3 p.m. – Winner Game 20 vs. Winner Game 22 (5th place game)

Game 30 – 4:30 p.m. – Winner Game 17 vs. Winner Game 18 (consolation championship game)

Game 31 – 6 p.m. – Loser Game 23 vs. Loser Game 24 (3rd place)

Game 32 – 7:30 p.m. – Winner Game 23 vs. Winner Game 24 (championship game)