The Effingham Hearts gave Mascoutah all they could handle Saturday before dropping a 45-41 decision in overtime.

It was part of the Marion Shootout.

The game was close throughout. The Hearts led 9-8 after the first eight minutes and the game was tied 23-23 at intermission. The Indians led 33-32 after three quarters and the game was tied 37-37 at the end of regulation.

Mascoutah took the lead in the extra period, but a basket by Garrett Wolfe tied it up. The Indians scored the next four points and EHS was unable to score again until two free throws by Logan Heil with just 1.8 seconds to play.

“The kids played awesome,” EHS coach Obie Farmer said. “After the game, I told them it was okay to be upset about the loss, but they had nothing to hang their heads about. They followed the game plan. We kept Mascoutah out of transition and we forced them to shoot outside the arc. We did not want to let them attack and get to the rim.”

Wolfe paced the Hearts with 16 points and Heil finished with 11.

“Mascoutah is a really good team,” Farmer noted. “The only team they’ve lost to so far was Collinsville.

“I feel like there’s been obvious growth since our first game,” the EHS coach added. “Every game we’re taking a step forward. The kids are eager to get better. They’re not satisfied to just go out and compete. To see where we started to where we are now, I’m very pleased with the progress this team is making.”

Effingham, now 2-4, will play three homes games next week – Tuesday against Mattoon; Friday against Mahomet-Seymour; and Saturday against Mt. Vernon.

It wasn’t pretty.

But as Obie Farmer says, “An ugly win is better than a pretty loss.”

Ugly or not, Effingham returned home Thursday night with a 60-57 road victory over Taylorville in the Apollo Conference opener for both teams.

Garrett Wolfe hit a pair of free throws to put the Hearts ahead by five with just 10 seconds to play. The Tornados got a late basket, but the clock then ran out to secure the EHS win.

The game was close throughout. It was 13-13 after the first period and the Hearts had a slim 31-28 advantage at halftime. It was just a one-point EHS lead, 40-39, heading into the final eight minutes.

Effingham led by as many as six in the final period, but three-pointers by Will Turvey and Drake Howard got Taylorville close. Wolfe scored seven points in the fourth quarter and Logan Heil added six to help the Hearts stay on top.

Wolfe scored 11 of team’s first 13 points in the game and had 17 by intermission. He finished with a game-high 24. Heil scored 15, with 13 of those coming in the second half, and Andrew Donaldson added 10.

“We didn’t play well at all. It certainly wasn’t a clean game,” Farmer said. “We made a lot of mistakes and did just enough to a win. I’m looking forward to fixing a lot of those mistakes and growing from this game.”

Effingham, now 2-3, will play Mascoutah Saturday at the Marion Shootout. The game is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

Senior leadership and youthful exuberance.

Jeff Schafer benefited from both Thursday night.

Seniors Madison Mapes and Ella Niebrugge combined for 37 points, while sophomores Bria Beals and Saige Althoff and freshman Averie Wolfe played key roles.

The end result was a 69-63 win at home over Mt. Vernon.

Niebrugge scored five early points and then knocked down four free throws in the final 2½ minutes that helped the Lady Hearts maintain their lead down the stretch.

And Mapes had a fantastic fourth quarter, pouring in 15 of her game-high 23 points. She connected on three shots behind the arc and added six free throws to help thwart a late charge by the Lady Rams.

“Ella had another strong game for us,” EHS coach Jeff Schafer said. “She took care of the ball, took good shots and made some big free throws for us in the fourth quarter.

“Madison is what you want in a point guard,” Schafer added. “She showed great decision-making, plus hit some huge shots. She has so many moves. She can hit the three and get to the basket.”

Thanks to a dominating second quarter, the Lady Hearts built a double-digit lead by halftime. They led by as many as 17 points early in the third period and still owned a 42-33 advantage heading into the final eight minutes.

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Ella Niebrugge and Bria Beals combined to score 33 points Tuesday night, helping the Effingham Lady Hearts open Apollo Conference play in impressive style, posting a 54-45 victory at Taylorville.

The Lady Tornados led the entire first half. They opened a 15-7 lead in the second period, but Beals then connected on back-to-back threes to get EHS within one. Taylorville then scored the final four points to take a 26-21 lead at intermission.

“It was just an incredible effort,” EHS coach Jeff Schafer said. “The first half was a real struggle. We turned the ball over 15 times, and most of the time, for no reason.”

Niebrugge then went to work in the third quarter. She knocked down a three, added another jumper and scored seven points. Beals scored five points and freshman Averie Wolfe trained a shot from behind the arc late in the quarter to send the Lady Hearts into the final eight minutes with a 38-35 advantage.

In the fourth period, Niebrugge scored six, including 4-for-4 from the foul line, and Beals added another shot from long range. EHS made 9-of-11 foul shots down the stretch to secure the win.

Niebrugge finished with 17 points, Beal scored 16 and Madison Mapes added eight.

“This was a great win for us,” EHS coach Jeff Schafer said. “Taylorville was picked second in the preseason Apollo poll by the coaches, so this was a really good start for us. The Apollo is so good this year, it’s going to be a great test every night out.”

The Lady Hearts are now 4-1 overall and 1-0 in the league. They will have two home games this week – Thursday against Mt. Vernon and Saturday against North Clay.