By Steve Raymond
ET News Report
Early in the game, the two teams had traded baskets and it was a slim one-point margin.
Granted, only 2½ minutes had run off the clock, but for the large majority of the fans at Baker Gymnasium, this was the type of game they expected throughout.
The Charleston Lady Trojans had different ideas, however.
The hosts drilled five 3-pointers in the first eight minutes, built an early commanding lead and never looked back.
When the final buzzer sounded, the Lady Trojans were celebrating Senior Night after posting a 61-31 victory over the Effingham Lady Hearts.
“Charleston played awesome,” EHS coach Jeff Schafer admitted. “They were aggressive from the get-go.”
With 5:39 to play in the opening quarter, the Lady Trojans held a 5-4 edge. But by the time the Lady Hearts scored again, it was a double-digit deficit. Freshman Maggie Goetten knocked down a trio of 3-pointers and fellow frosh Erin Blair also connected from long range, sparking a 15-0 run that opened a 20-4 advantage.
Annie Frost and Callie Feldhake both scored for EHS, but the Lady Hearts found themselves trailing 25-8 heading into the second period.
The Effingham Lady Hearts will compete in the four-team Olney Class 3A Regional next week.
The first two games will be played on Monday, Feb. 17.
Olney, the top seed, will face Charleston at 6 p.m., followed by the contest between Effingham and Mt. Vernon at 7:30 p.m.
The two winners will play for the regional championship at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 20.
The winner of the Olney Regional will then advance to the Effingham Sectional. Regional winners from Centralia, Troy and Jerseyville will also play in the sectional, which is scheduled to begin on Monday, Feb. 24.
By Stever Raymond
ET Sports Report
“They aren’t undefeated in the conference by accident. They are very, very talented.”
That’s what Effingham coach Jeff Schafer said about Mattoon after the Lady Green Wave posted a 63-32 victory over the Lady Hearts Thursday night.
The visitors never trailed. Mattoon broke out to a quick 11-2 lead. But Hayley Diveley hit a 3-pointer and then a short jumper to get EHS within 11-7 with 2:32 to play in the opening period.
But the Lady Green Wave then went on a 13-0 scoring run over the following 3½ minutes to take control of the game. With seven minutes to play in the opening half, Mattoon owned a 24-7 lead.
“We simply didn’t match their intensity,” Schafer noted. “When we actually attacked, we didn’t do too bad. But they did a good job switching up their defenses.”
Mattoon’s full court press caused problems. The Lady Hearts turned the ball over 14 times in the first 16 minutes and the Lady Green Wave scored after nine of those, including several layups.
“Turnovers turned into easy baskets and really got them going,” Schafer said. “They pressed us, pressed us and pressed us some more and I’m glad they did. We need to get better at it. The girls weren’t getting to the right spots and it resulted in several turnovers.”
Mahomet-Seymour and Effingham hooked up in a shootout Saturday night.
The host Bulldogs made 10 three-pointers and got 31 points from their 6’7” senior standout Grant Coleman to come away with an 89-81 victory over the Hearts in an Apollo Conference contest.
And that came despite a 41-point effort by Effingham’s Parker Wolfe, who poured in 26 points in the fourth quarter alone.
Mahomet-Seymour led at every stop. The Bulldogs led 20-17 after eight minutes, 38-28 at halftime and 65-51 after three quarters.
Wolfe then connected on a trio of 3-pointers, five two-point baskets and went 7-for-8 from the foul line to keep the Hearts within striking distance in the final period. He had 26 of the team’s 30 points in the fourth quarter.
Nate Thompson scored 14 points in the first half and finished with 20, while Jacob Stoneburner added 11.
The Hearts shot 48 percent overall, making 19-of-40 shots. They were 10-for-22 from long range and 13-of-15 from the foul line.
Effingham dipped to 14-9 on the season and 4-4 in the Apollo. The Hearts will play at home both Tuesday against Charleston and Friday against Lincoln. They will then face Paxton-Buckley-Loda at 5:30 p.m. Saturday in the Teutopolis Shootout.
Effingham won the junior varsity game 59-50. Max Woelfer led three players in double figures with 17 points. Jett Volpi scored 14 and Garrett Wolfe added 12.
Effingham grabbed an early lead and freshman Annie Frost nearly turned in a double-double Monday night, as the Lady Hearts went on the road and posted a 57-41 victory at Champaign Centennial.
EHS jumped out to a 20-9 lead after eight minutes and increased it to 31-15 at halftime, en route to its 12th win of the season.
Frost pumped in 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead the way. Hayley Diveley added 11 points and Ella Niebrugge chipped in with nine, helping the Lady Hearts improve to 12-14 on the season.
Effingham will return home Thursday night to face Mattoon in an Apollo Conference matchup.
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