By Steve Raymond
ET Sports Report
Coaches aren’t normally pleased after a loss.
Effingham’s Obie Farmer is no exception.
But after his Hearts team dropped a 61-42 decision to East St. Louis Saturday night in the championship game of the Salem Invitational Tournament, the second-year coach was not upset in the least.
“I have so much pride in this team,” Farmer admitted. “They played so hard tonight and did everything we asked them to do. Plus, their energy and effort was great. I’m just so proud of these kids.”
The Flyers, the defending Class 3A champions and currently ranked No. 7 in the 3A poll, were the heavy tourney favorites. Their speed, height – seven players 6’5” or taller on their roster, including 6’8” and 6’9” – and athleticism was unmatched in the eight-team tournament field.
But the Hearts didn’t back down and gave it everything they had.
They actually jumped out to an early lead. Drew Thompson hit a jumper to start the scoring. Nate Thompson had a basket and a free throw and Parker Wolfe connected from 3-point range. With 1:30 to play in the opening period, EHS was on top 8-2.
“I think we woke them up,” Farmer said. “I don’t think they were ready for the amount of effort they saw from our kids. But then they went on a run.”
By Steve Raymond
ET Sports Report
Obie Farmer and the Effingham Hearts have been waiting for Tate Niebrugge to have a breakout game.
The wait is now over.
Effingham’s senior guard knocked down five 3-pointers, scored a career-high 17 points and was clearly the difference in Friday night’s game.
Niebrugge’s performance helped the Hearts post a 71-55 victory over Teutopolis in a semifinal contest of the Salem Invitational Tournament.
“Tate was the difference in the game,” Coach Farmer admitted. “I don’t know if there is some kind of mental block when he is starting or not. But ever since he started coming off the bench, he’s a totally different player and shooter.
“You can see the confidence he has now in his shot,” the EHS coach added. “He was 5-for-7 from behind the arc tonight. I’ll take that every game. If he continues to shoot like that and give us a fourth scorer, that will make us especially tough.”
The win also earned Effingham a spot in the tournament championship game at 8:30 tonight (Saturday) against the East St. Louis Flyers.
The Shoes will face Carbondale in the third place contest at 5:30 p.m.
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.”
What a difference a few days can make.
And a better start.
After falling behind by double digits early in the contest and dropping a 53-51 overtime decision to Vandalia on Monday in the opening round of the Effingham Round Robin, the Lady Hearts got off to a much better start Friday night and that proved successful.
Effingham jumped out to a 16-9 lead and led throughout, finishing with a 49-43 victory at Vandalia.
The Lady Hearts were on top 30-22 at intermission and 34-27 heading into the final eight minutes. EHS made 10-of-14 foul shots in the fourth quarter to maintain its lead and secure the win.
Freshman Annie Frost led the scoring attack with 17 points, while Hayley Diveley added 10. Diveley had seven of her points in the final period. Sawyer Althoff was 4-for-4 from the foul line and Ella Niebrugge connected on a pair to help the Lady Hearts keep their lead down the stretch.
Effingham improved to 10-12 on the season. The Lady Hearts will play Monday at Taylorville.
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.
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