By Steve Raymond
ET Sports Report
There was a timeout on the floor and just 1:05 left in the game.
Just 17 seconds earlier, KJ Kellams had drilled a three-pointer from the wing to put Effingham on top, 35-33.
But the next 65 seconds was “crunch time.” Those crucial seconds that determine who wins and loses many basketball games.
“It’s the time of game we need to get better at,” EHS coach Mack Thompson admitted. “That’s when you must take care of the basketball and hit your free throws.”
It would be difficult to be much better than the Hearts were in that final minute.
They didn’t turn the ball over and made six clutch free throws in the final 37 seconds to come away with a 41-37 victory at home Tuesday night over Newton.
After the timeout, the Eagles did commit a turnover almost immediately. The Hearts protected the ball and ran time off the clock before Ethan Jones was fouled with 35 seconds to play. He made both, expanding the lead to four.
Newton refused to go away, however. Kody Bergbower cut the lead in half with a short jumper. Jake Niebrugge was fouled with 18 seconds still left. The sophomore guard converted both foul shots, again providing that four-point margin.
The Taylorville Lady Tornados dominated the first and third quarters Tuesday night, en route to a key 55-41 Apollo Conference victory at home over Effingham.
Mazie Fleming scored eight points in both the first and third periods, helping the hosts outscore the Lady Hearts 41-15 during that 16-minute stretch.
Effingham trailed 21-8 after the first eight minutes. Bria Beals then knocked down three shots from behind the arc, helping the Lady Hearts trim the deficit to 27-20 at intermission.
But Taylorville went on a 20-7 run in the third period to expand their advantage to 20 points, 47-27, heading into the final quarter.
Fleming had a game-high 16 points, while Addison Tarr added 10 for the Lady Tornados, who improved to 11-7 on the season and 4-2 in the Apollo.
Alyssa Martin had 12 points and Beals scored 10 for Effingham.
The Lady Hearts are now 15-4 overall, but still stand atop the conference standings with a 5-1 mark. They will play again tonight (Wednesday) at home against Paris.
The Effingham Lady Hearts closed out the Coles County Girls Holiday Basketball Tournament in impressive fashion Saturday, defeating both Marion and Sullivan.
EHS beat Marion 56-34 and then rolled over Sullivan 67-39 to finish the tournament 3-1 and in fifth place.
In the Marion contest, the Lady Hearts built a 20-11 lead after the first period, increased it to 28-15 at halftime and were never threatened.
Effingham had three players in double figures. Alyssa Martin led the way with 19 points, while Sidney Donaldson scored 11 and Bria Beals added 10.
It was a similar pattern against Sullivan.
The Lady Hearts raced to a 20-7 lead after eight minutes and extended the margin to 38-20 at intermission.
Martin and Averie Wolfe both scored 12 points and Beals added 11 for Effingham.
Martin and Wolfe were both named to the all-tournament team.
The Lady Hearts improved to 14-3 for the season. They will return to action on Tuesday, Jan. 7. They will play at home against Newton.
The Effingham Lady Hearts maintained their grip on the Apollo Conference race with a 46-42 victory Saturday at Mt. Zion.
But it didn’t come easily.
The Lady Braves held a 33-32 lead entering the fourth period. Averie Wolfe then knocked down a three-pointer and scored eight points, helping the Lady Hearts outscore the hosts 14-9 and rally for the win.
The game was close throughout.
Effingham led 11-8 after the opening eight minutes, but the game was tied 20-20 at halftime.
Ava Anderson had 11 points for the Lady Braves, who dropped to 9-11 overall and 1-3 in league play.
Wolfe led all scorers with 19 points, while Alyssa Martin added 11.
The Lady Hearts improved to 15-3 for the season and remained unbeaten in the Apollo Conference at 5-0. They will play another key conference game Tuesday night at Taylorville.
Just 16 hours earlier, the Effingham Hearts struggled down the stretch and only scored two fourth-quarter points in a loss to Lutheran North.
But Saturday morning was a different story.
Clinging to a slim three-point lead with two minutes to play, the Hearts took care of the basketball and converted 12 out of 16 free throws to secure a 63-58 victory over Charleston.
That gave the Hearts a 2-2 record and an 11th place finish in the Effingham-Teutopolis Christmas Classic.
With 2:02 to play, Effingham had a 49-46 lead. Jake Niebrugge extended it to five with a pair of foul shots, but Charleston’s Tyler Oakley – an all-tournament selection – connected on a deep three to trim the margin to only two points.
But the Hearts responded. Over the next 34 seconds, KJ Kellams hit two free throws, and after an inbounds turnover by the Trojans, Kellams hit a short jumper. Following missed shots by Charleston, Jake Traub made two foul shots and Ethan Jones added another.
With 1:17 remaining, Effingham had expanded its advantage to 58-49.
Traub hit two more free throws and Niebrugge added one, but a rebound basket by Alex Kuykendall and a three-pointer from Andrew Kuykendall narrowed the margin to five points, 61-56, with 24 ticks still showing.
Traub then sealed the victory 11 seconds later with yet two more charity tosses.
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