By Steve Raymond
ET Sports Report
It was a bad combination.
Mattoon plays predominantly zone defense and plays it well.
Effingham had not spent much time working on its zone offense and it showed.
“I’ll take the blame for that,” EHS coach Obie Farmer said. “We’ve been working so hard getting our man-to-man offense going, we just didn’t invest much time for the zone; not as much time as it deserved.”
As a result, the Hearts had difficulty showing any consistency on offense and didn’t shoot the ball well.
That, plus a big scoring run to open the fourth period proved to be the difference as Mattoon pulled away to post a 54-40 victory Saturday in the third place game of the St. Anthony Thanksgiving Tournament.
“We were a little stagnant,” Farmer added. “We hadn’t really worked on it yet and we weren’t comfortable. We never did find a flow or a rhythm. We’ll be more prepared for it next time.”
Yet, it was still just a seven-point margin, 35-28, heading into the final eight minutes. Actually, a three-pointer by Jett Volpi had trimmed the lead to 33-28 before Mattoon’s Christian Larson made two free throws with just three seconds to go in the third period.
That was the beginning of a deciding 15-2 run. The Green Wave made five free throws to start the fourth period. After Brayden Pals hit a jumper for Effingham, Mattoon got four points from Taerick Grace and two from Sam Bradbury and Blaine Powers to open a 48-30 cushion with just 1:42 remaining.
The Hearts made only one basket in the first seven minutes of the period.
By Steve Raymond
ET Sports Report
Jeff Schafer likes what he sees in his basketball team.
And why not?
“They play hard,” Effingham’s veteran coach noted. “Even when they make a mistake, they just keep playing. I think that’s what I like most about this team. They play the next possession the best they can. You’re right. I do like what I’m seeing.”
The Lady Hearts completed their four-game sweep through the Bob Kerans Thanksgiving Tournament by posting a 56-41 victory over Altamont Friday afternoon, clinching the championship of the annual tourney in Newton.
Effingham never trailed. A free throw by Marissa Allie broke an early tie and sparked a 12-5 run that gave the Lady Hearts a 14-7 lead after the opening eight minutes. Meredith Schaefer scored five points and Ella Niebrugge got her second double-double performance underway with four points and seven rebounds.
It was still a seven-point spread, 17-10, when the Lady Hearts took total control with a 16-6 run to close out the first half. Schaefer knocked down a three and scored eight points and Krista Phillips came off the bench to add four more, helping EHS build a 33-16 advantage as the teams headed to the locker room at intermission.
“We’re playing similar to the way we played this summer,” Schafer explained. “I really like how they play together. There’s no selfishness, plus this is a smart group. We can do a lot of different things because they pick stuff up so quickly. This is a fun group to coach.”
Schafer wasn’t as happy with his team the second half, especially as the turnovers continued to pile up. The Lady Hearts were guilty of 15 miscues in the final 16 minutes, most of which were caused by Altamont’s Grace Nelson.
The sophomore standout had eight steals on her own and converted each one into a layup. She had two other layups after her teammates came up with steals as well, en route to a 31-point performance. Even with all those easy baskets, however, the closest the Lady Indians got was 13 points, 38-25, midway through the third period, and 54-41 late in the contest.
By Steve Raymond
ET Sports Report
If someone had told Obie Farmer before the game that the Effingham Hearts would score 62 points and win, his response would have been quick and abrupt.
“There’s no chance. That’s not the type of team we have.”
But for this game, he would have been wrong.
The Hearts overcame a string of fourth-quarter turnovers and some inconsistency at the free throw line to come away with a 62-54 victory Wednesday night in the St. Anthony Thanksgiving Tournament.
But it wasn’t easy.
Effingham led the entire game and was seemingly in control with a 49-36 cushion and 6:36 left to play. That’s when Robinson’s pressure defense started to take affect and the Hearts lead began to dwindle.
Ironically, EHS didn’t take another shot from the floor in the final 6½ minutes. Seven turnovers took away several possessions and the final 13 points came from the foul line.
Fortunately, it was enough.
Robinson’s Owen Schmidt started the comeback with a three-pointer, but free throws by Andrew Splechter and Dalton Fox kept the Hearts on top, 54-43, at the 3:28 mark. But the Hearts then turned the ball over on four consecutive possessions and the Maroons took advantage each time.
Schmidt hit a three, Noah Gilmore made a short jumper and Cooper Loll added two more baskets, including one at the 2:17 mark to trim the EHS lead to just two points, 54-52.
“They really came out and got after us,” Farmer admitted. “I called a timeout and told them to relax. We just needed to settle down and play at our pace. After they cut the lead to two, we seemed to get our rhythm back, settle back in and we started moving better.”
By Steve Raymond
ET Sports Report
The past couple years Effingham Hearts basketball fans became accustomed to a certain style.
The Hearts played fast, looked for the first available shot and racked up a lot of points. They were athletic, quick and very potent offensively.
This year’s group is the exact opposite, but the early results have still been very positive.
“Most people keep saying we’re going to be down this year,” EHS coach Obie Farmer said. “I’m not sure we’re going to be down. We’re just different. Last year’s team did a lot of things well. This year’s team is also doing things well. Just different things.”
The much slower-paced, defensive-oriented EHS team posted its second straight win Friday night with a 48-30 decision over cross-town rival St. Anthony.
“This team plays together so well,” Farmer said. “They’re patient and look for good shots. We probably have more assists in one game than last year’s team had in a month. Last year’s team was very smart, but this is a smart group, too. Like I said, we’re just different this year.”
A big third quarter put Effingham in control.
The Hearts held a 21-15 lead at halftime and it was still a six-point game 90 seconds into the second half. That’s when Garrett Wolfe knocked down a three-pointer to start an 8-0 run. Wolfe added another free throw and Jett Volpi and Brayden Pals converted St. Anthony turnovers into baskets, expanding the EHS lead to 31-17 at the 3:42 mark of the third period.
A three by Max Koenig got the Bulldogs within 11, but baskets by Dalton Fox and Pals to close out the quarter sent the Hearts into the final eight minutes with a 15-point cushion, 37-22.
By Steve Raymond
ET Sports Report
Lost possessions can prove critical in a basketball game, especially in a low-scoring affair.
Turnovers cost the Effingham Flaming Hearts six possessions in the fourth quarter alone.
And when Luke Stubhart connected on a 12-foot jumper with just 1.2 seconds to play, those missed scoring opportunities loomed large.
Stubhart’s clutch basket gave the Breese Central Cougars a 37-35 win over the Hearts Tuesday night in the season-opener for both teams at the St. Anthony Thanksgiving Tournament.
“We’re not the type of team this year that can fly down the floor and take the first shot we see,” EHS coach Obie Farmer said. “What we can do is play good defense, be patient on offense and not turn the ball over. If we don’t have all those turnovers, who knows what happens in this game.”
Two of the Hearts turnovers resulted in easy baskets by Mason Hamon and Cody Dickshot, giving Breese Central a 35-29 lead with 3½ minutes to play.
To the Hearts credit, they never quit. Jett Volpi hit a free throw and then the Hearts converted back-to-back Cougar turnovers into baskets themselves. Garrett Wolfe connected from behind the arc and Brayden Pals then scored with just 54 seconds remaining to knot the game at 35-35.
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