By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

For 27 minutes, Effingham and Mattoon battled on pretty even terms.

But the first five minutes of the game was a much different story.

On one end of the floor, the Lady Hearts were missing shots and turning the ball over.

At the other end, the Lady Green Wave were executing at a high level.

The result was a 14-0 run to start the game and a 22-2 lead just five minutes into the contest.

The Lady Hearts managed to cut into that gap at times, but when the final horn sounded, Mattoon had posted a 59-35 win on the road.

“We did not match their intensity at the beginning,” said EHS coach Jeff Shafer. “They are very aggressive, especially with their pressure. That pressure just took us out of the game at first. They have really good players and they played great.”

Mattoon’s standout, Mallory Ramage, started her record-breaking performance just 26 seconds into the contest. She actually scored her team’s first seven points. Lily Ghere then knocked down a three-pointer and followed with another bucket and Chloe Pruitt converted an Effingham turnover into a basket and it was 14-0 just 3½ minutes into the game.

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So far, the 2021-22 season has been perfect for the Effingham Lady Hearts.

Seven games.

Seven wins.

Effingham notched No. 7 Saturday with a 45-27 victory over North Clay in Louisville.

The Lady Hearts led throughout. They were up 13-8 after the opening eight minutes and expanded that to double digits at halftime, 26-16. EHS then went on a 13-4 scoring run in the third period to build a 19-point cushion, 39-20.

Ella Niebrugge and Bria Beals both scored in double figures for the Lady Hearts. Niebrugge knocked down four three-pointers for 12 points, while Beals had a pair from long range and finished with 10, all in the first half.

Effingham, now 7-0 on the season, will face a pair of tough Apollo Conference challenges this week. The Lady Hearts will host Mattoon on Thursday and then travel to Mahomet-Seymour on Saturday.

After an 11-day layoff, the Effingham Hearts returned to the basketball court Tuesday night.

And the results were not good.

The Hearts didn’t make a basket until the second quarter, fell behind quickly and dropped a lopsided 64-24 decision at Mattoon.

“We couldn’t get into a flow,” said EHS coach Obie Farmer. “You could tell Mattoon had a couple games since we played last. You can’t replicate true game speed in practice. You can try as much as you want to make things game-like, but there is no substitute for game reps.”

Effingham was scheduled to play Taylorville last Thursday, but the game had to be cancelled due to COVID issues in Taylorville. The affect of such a long layoff became apparent from the very beginning Tuesday night.

The Hearts managed just four free throws and trailed 12-4 after the opening eight minutes. Things just got worse from there. The Green Wave led 26-11 at halftime, 43-18 after three quarters and then went on a 21-6 scoring run to close out the game.

“They do things really well on the defensive end,” Farmer noted. “They are long and cover passing lanes well. Their zone defense is really solid.

“And we didn’t play tough basketball,” the EHS coach added. “Plus, we made a lot of mental mistakes, got lost on our defensive assignments and couldn’t penetrate their zone. We struggled the entire game. Toughness encompasses a lot of things and we talk about it often. But we didn’t play with any toughness in this game.”

Garrett Wolfe had 13 points for Effingham, while Mattoon had two players in double figures – Cooper Bergstrom with 15 points and Jaylen Middleton with 13.

The Hearts dipped to 2-3 on the season and are now 0-1 in the Apollo Conference. They will return to conference play Friday night with a road game at Mahomet-Seymour.

“We have a lot to work on,” Farmer said. “We have an inexperienced team, so the more games we get under our belt, the better we will be. As long as we continue to grow and be receptive to criticism, we will improve.”

The Effingham Lady Hearts notched their sixth straight win to open the season, posting a 38-34 road victory Tuesday night at Taylorville.

And doing so despite a cold shooting night.

The Lady Hearts made just 13-of-47 shots, an icy 28 percent. That included 4-of-19 from three-point range.

But they made enough to open their Apollo Conference schedule with a win.

Effingham jumped out to a 15-6 lead after the opening eight minutes, but made just one shot in the second period. Taylorville took advantage and went on a 9-2 run to close within 17-15 at intermission.

The game remained close throughout the second half. The Lady Hearts were still up two, 27-25, after three quarters and outscored the Lady Tornados 11-9 in the final period to secure the victory.

Meredith Schaefer led EHS with 18 points. Madison Mapes added nine.

The Lady Hearts are now 6-0 on the young season. They will play a non-conference game Saturday at North Clay.