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.
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.”
By Steve Raymond
ET Sports Report
Once again, the Effingham Hearts let one get away.
Once again, it was costly turnovers and the inability to score that made the difference.
The Hearts had two turnovers down the stretch and failed to score in the final 3½ minutes.
That, plus a big three-pointer from Dawson Brown, allowed the Olney Tigers to remain undefeated and escape Effingham High School with a 41-37 win Tuesday night.
“Almost every game, we’re right there,” EHS coach Obie Farmer said. “It feels like we’re always the bridesmaid and never the bride. We keep competing hard, but we just can’t finish. It seems to come down to one or two possessions.”
The Hearts led the entire first half, but found themselves trailing by six points, 36-30, just 90 seconds into the fourth period. But Ethan Ritz connected on his third three-pointer, Armando Estrada turned an Olney turnover into a bucket and Garrett Wolfe hit a short jumper in the lane to put the Hearts back on top, 37-36, with 3:31 still to play.
About a minute later, however, Brown drilled a three from the corner – his only shot of the entire game – and the Tigers had a lead they never relinquished.
Effingham had only three shots the rest of the way. Olne’sy Chase Travis made a free throw at the 1:04 mark to make it a three-point spread, 40-37.
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.
Fifteen players were selected to the 8th annual Effingham-Teutopolis Christmas Classic All-Tournament Team.
Local boys named were Garrett Wolfe, of Effingham; Caleb Siemer, of Teutopolis; and Kyle Stewart, of St. Anthony.
Others selected included Jerret Moore and Anthony Vaval, from tourney champion Chicago Brooks; Tylon Tolliver and George Bellevue, from tourney runner-up Lincoln-Way East; John McGowan and Davion Lawrence, from Oak Lawn; Evan Schafer and Ben Meinhart, from Newton; Zach Powell, from Pleasant Plains; David Hise, from Knoxville; David Hubbard, from Champaign Centennial; and Jacob Gaither, from Dixon.
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