By Steve Raymond
ET Sports Report
It was a game Effingham wasn’t supposed to win.
After all, Mt. Vernon was bigger, quicker and more talented.
Someone forgot to tell the Hearts, though.
The Effingham boys hung around the entire game, surged back from a nine-point deficit in the third period and then exploded in the final eight minutes.
The Hearts made five 3-pointers over a four-minute span and then converted six crucial free throws in the final 54 seconds to come away with a 70-64 victory Thursday night in an opening-round game of the 69th annual Salem Invitational Tournament.
It sets up an Effingham-Teutopolis clash tonight (Friday) at 8 p.m., with the winner advancing to the tournament championship game.
And following the victory, EHS coach Obie Farmer was all smiles.
“Biggest win of the year for us. This was huge,” Farmer said. “They (Mt. Vernon) are a tough team, top to bottom. But the Hearts were just a little bit better tonight.”
Vandalia outscored Effingham 10-8 in the overtime period Monday night to come away with a 53-51 victory in the Effingham Round Robin.
Bailey Stewart scored seven of her game-high 16 points in the extra session to help the Lady Vandals get the win and improve to 7-13 on the season.
The Lady Hearts trailed for much of the game. Vandalia led 12-7 after the opening eight minutes, 24-15 at halftime and 38-21 after three periods.
Effingham then staged a furious comeback in the fourth period, outscoring Vandalia 22-5. Taylor Armstrong scored seven points in that quarter, helping EHS rally to tie the game 43-43 and force overtime.
Annie Frost led the Lady Hearts with 14 points and Armstrong added 12.
Effingham, now 8-12 on the season, will play Thursday night at home against Centralia. Game time is 6 p.m.
Vandalia will face Centralia tonight (Tuesday) at 6 p.m.
Parker Wolfe and Drew Thompson combined for 54 points Tuesday night, leading the Effingham Hearts to a 69-53 Apollo Conference victory at Taylorville.
Wolfe was 6-for-9 from three-point range and finished with 33 points, while Thompson connected on 5-of-10 from behind the arc and totaled 21 points.
“Parker and Drew both shot really well tonight,” EHS coach Obie Farmer said. “They both filled it up and did so from the beginning.”
Wolfe had 10 points and Drew Thompson five in the opening eight minutes and the Hearts opened an 18-12 lead. By halftime, it was a 32-24 advantage. Nate Thompson was out most of the first half due to foul problems, but Farmer noted the play of Dylan Ritz.
“He came off the bench and made an immediate impact,” the EHS coach noted. “He dominated the boards in the first half, getting 7 of our 11 rebounds. He was comfortable with the ball, attacked the basket and kicked it to open shooters. Dylan tends to do the things that aren’t in the scorebook. He’s an effort guy and I love those kinds of guys.”
By Steve Raymond
ET Sports Report
Talk about a see-saw affair.
Effingham and Mahomet-Seymour took turns playing with the lead and then battling from behind.
But in the final 3½ minutes Thursday night, the Lady Hearts made the most plays down the stretch and came away with a hard-fought 54-48 win at home over the Lady Bulldogs.
“I loved our fight and drive tonight,” said EHS coach Jeff Schafer after his team snapped its six-game losing streak. “We had a chance to fold a couple times, but we didn’t. The girls just kept working, working, working. There was just a different feel out there tonight.”
There was a feeling of victory early in the fourth quarter. Sawyer Althoff made a free throw and Katie Carie scored after grabbing an offensive rebound, giving the Hearts a double-digit lead at 43-33 with 6:19 to play.
But Mahomet-Seymour’s shooting from long range quickly changed that. Savannah Orgeron connected on two from behind the arc and Makayla Rosenberry added another three, and in just 68 seconds, the Lady Bulldogs were within 43-42.
“You know they’re going to bring it,” Schafer said. “They have a good young team that can really shoot it.”
The Paris Lady Tigers proved why they are one of the best teams in the state this year.
They knocked down 13 three-point shots, grabbed a quick lead and rolled to a 65-32 win at home Monday night over Effingham.
Six different girls connected from behind the arc. Sarah Isaf had four of those and finished with a game-high 22 points to help the Lady Tigers improve to 22-0. They are ranked No. 2 in the Class 2A poll.
Paris built an 18-5 lead after the first eight minutes and stretched its advantage to 39-15 at halftime.
Hayley Diveley scored 11 points and Annie Frost added 10 for the EHS.
The Lady Hearts, now 7-11 on the season, will return home Thursday night to face Mahomet-Seymour.
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