By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

In basketball, if a team shoots good, it looks good.

Based on that criteria, the Effingham Hearts looked fantastic Tuesday night.

The Hearts blistered the nets from the beginning and never cooled off. They shot a torrid 67 percent overall – 61 percent from behind the arc.

The Hearts built a double-digit lead in the first quarter and it just continued to expand. A game that most believed would be close throughout never was. In fact, the continuously running “mercy clock” was invoked in the fourth quarter.

When the final buzzer sounded, the Hearts had posted an impressive – and convincing – 64-36 win at Newton.

“It’s hard to beat a team that shot like we did tonight,” EHS coach Obie Farmer said. “We worked the ball inside-out, kicking it out to guys that were wide open on the perimeter. We did a great job of finding shots within the flow of our offense. That’s the best we’ve played all season.”

And the shooting barrage started early.

The Hearts had a 4-3 edge 2½ minutes into the game, but then knocked down a three on four straight possessions – by four different players. Jett Volpi, who had 5 of Effingham’s 11 threes, got it started. Garrett Wolfe, Dalton Fox and Ethan Ritz then got into the act, giving the Hearts their first double-digit lead, 16-5, at the 2:18 mark.

The margin was never single digits again.

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By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

The Effingham Lady Hearts turned in a strong performance at both ends of the court Saturday morning.

EHS used good ball movement and excellent shooting on offense, plus a defense that forced 16 turnovers and a lot of tough shots.

The final result was a convincing 54-30 victory at home over Mt. Zion.

“I am very pleased with our effort today,” Effingham coach Jeff Schafer said. “Our defense was really good and we were aggressive on offense. That’s what you need to win basketball games.”

Meredith Schaefer connected on a three-pointer just 90 seconds into the game and the Lady Hearts had a lead they never relinquished. Mt. Zion’s standout sophomore Denver Anderson hit a pair of free throws, followed by a three that got the Lady Braves within 6-5, but Effingham closed out the opening period on a 9-2 run to open a 15-7 cushion after the first eight minutes.

Schaefer had a pair of baskets from long range and Ella Niebrugge added another from behind the arc, helping the hosts open that early lead.

The margin continued to expand in the second quarter. Schaefer hit a quick bucket, Sawyer Athoff added a jumper and a free throw and Marissa Allie added a basket, as the Lady Hearts extended their lead to double-digits, 22-9, midway through the second period.

In the final 90 seconds of the opening half, Schaefer hit a jumper and a shot from long range, and Coralin Ohnesorge drilled yet another from three-point range, helping EHS take a 30-12 advantage into the locker room at halftime.

“We really moved the ball well on offense,” Schafer noted. “Most of our baskets came off nice assists. It’s nice seeing the girls take the ball to the basket, but I also like seeing them find the open shooter. I thought we used our speed to get to the basket and I thought we did a good job moving the ball and taking good shots.”

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The Effingham Lady Hearts built a first-quarter lead and maintained it throughout, finishing with a 56-44 win Monday night at Neoga.

Meredith Schaefer connected on a pair of threes and scored eight points and Sawyer Althoff added six more, helping the Little Hearts take a 21-15 lead after the opening eight minutes. It was a seven-point cushion at halftime, 34-27.

Effingham was on top, 41-35, heading into the final period and then outscored the Lady Indians 15-9 to secure the win. Ella Niebrugge knocked down a three and scored seven points in that fourth quarter to help EHS expand its lead.

Schaefer finished with a game-high 19 points, while Niebrugge finished with 14.

“This was a great game,” EHS coach Jeff Schafer said. “Both teams really battled hard.”

The Lady Hearts improved to 12-5 on the season. They travel to Paris on Thursday.

This one did not get away.

The Effingham Hearts have had difficulty closing out games so far this season, and as a result, let a couple possible wins get away from them.

Friday night was a different story.

Brayden Pals and Jett Volpi both made a pair of pressure-packed free throws in the final 56 seconds, helping the Hearts hang on for a 58-52 Apollo Conference victory in Mt. Zion.

“This was our biggest win of the year,” EHS coach Obie Farmer admitted. “Winning is hard and they’re all big. Every point, rebound and steal mattered tonight. A lot of kids contributed, which gave us a chance to win. I couldn’t be prouder of the kids. Anytime you get a win, especially on the road, it’s a good one.”

But it didn’t come easy.

After a big third quarter, the Hearts led by nine, and when Garrett Wolfe scored to start the fourth period, EHS owned a 45-34 advantage.

But a three-pointer by Jack Driscoll helped the Braves begin a comeback. The Hearts turned the ball over six times and went just 1-for-4 from the foul line over a five-minute stretch and their lead began to dwindle.

Ethan Hamrick scored 11 of his game-high 29 points in the final eight minutes, including a three at the 2:19 mark to get Mt. Zion within a single tally, 51-50.

But Pals hit a jumper and Armando Estrada added a free throw to make it a four-point spread, 54-50, with 1:33 still showing. The Braves got a bucket from Brayden Trimble to get within four, but Pals and Volpi came through down the stretch, helping the Hearts secure their first conference win of the season and their first win outside Effingham.

Two of the Hearts wins came in the season-opening St. Anthony Thanksgiving Tournament and the other two were in the Effingham-Teutopolis Christmas Classic.

While the Hearts strong play in the final 90 seconds was impressive, the real story of the game just might have been the third quarter. Through the first 16 games, EHS has struggled coming out of the locker room for the second half. Coach Farmer blamed it on a lack of energy.

That was not the case Friday night.

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