By Steve Raymond
ET Sports Report
With just five seconds showing on the clock, things didn’t look promising for the Effingham Lady Hearts.
They had just turned the ball over and were trailing by two points in overtime.
“When I looked down our bench and saw the faces, I could tell some of them thought the game was over,” EHS coach Jeff Schafer said. “But we set up a defense, trying to make it difficult for them to get the ball in-bounds. I put Olivia (Moser) on the ball and tried to front their other players. I think their girl panicked.”
There was nobody close to where the in-bounds pass was made. But Bella Austin grabbed the loose ball and quickly fired it to Alyssa Martin, who scored at the buzzer. That play saved the Lady Hearts season and sent the game into its second overtime.
Effingham then made just enough plays – and just enough free throws – to secure a 61-59 victory Thursday over Centralia in the championship game of the Class 3A Salem Regional.
“We were hoping for a bad pass,” Austin said following the contest. “I saw the ball come in and grabbed it. Then I saw Alyssa wide open. I fired a pass to her and trusted she would make it.”
The Mt. Zion Braves placed five players in double figures and finished the Apollo Conference season with a perfect record after posting a 76-53 victory Thursday night at Effingham.
The Braves jumped out to a 26-14 lead after the opening eight minutes. The Hearts battled hard throughout the contest. They trailed 42-28 at halftime and 58-43 entering the fourth period.
JC Anderson led Mt. Zion with 16 points, while Brant McAtee scored 15, Lyncoln Koester 12 and both Sammy Driscoll and Brayden Trimble added 10.
The Braves finished 10-0 in the conference and are now 30-1 overall.
Connor Bockhorn led Effingham with 15 points and KJ Kellams added 10.
The Hearts dipped to 3-27 overall and finished league play 1-9. They will return to action Monday night. They will play Charleston in an opening-round game of the Class 3A Charleston Regional. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
By Steve Raymond
ET Sports Report
When it comes to closing out a basketball game, the Effingham Lady Hearts put on a clinic Monday night.
Over the final eight minutes, they were tenacious on defense, grabbed every rebound in sight and knocked down shot after shot.
As a result, what was a closely contested game turned into a runaway.
When the final horn sounded, the Lady Hearts owned a 55-34 victory over Troy Triad in a semifinal game of the Class 3A Salem Regional.
Effingham, the regional’s No. 2 seed, will face No. 5 Centralia for the regional championship. The game is set for 7 p.m. Thursday at Salem High School. The Orphan Annies defeated Bethalto Civic Memorial 62-50 in Monday night’s second game.
“All seven of the girls played important roles tonight,” said EHS coach Jeff Schafer. “Everybody played hard and did a nice job. I was very pleased.”
Heading into the final quarter, the game was still up for grabs. The Lady Hearts had led since the end of the second quarter, but it was only a six-point margin, 36-30, when the fourth period started.
Things changed quickly.
By Steve Raymond
ET Sports Report
Now that was a championship-caliber game.
It wasn’t always pretty, but both squads gave 100 percent effort. “They left it all on the floor,” as the saying goes.
Neither team shot well, but credit that to the defenses.
The game was tied with less than two minutes to play and it was just a three-point margin in the waning seconds, setting up a potential game-tying three-point attempt.
When that shot missed, Ryan Schmidt grabbed the rebound and made a free throw with only three ticks remaining on the clock, securing the hard-fought 41-37 victory St. Anthony posted over Altamont Tuesday night at The Enlow Center.
It also clinched the National Trail Conference regular season championship for the Bulldogs, who finished 8-0 in league play. Altamont is now 6-1 in the NTC with a game at Windsor/Stew-Stras scheduled for Friday.
“We needed this; a game that challenged us,” said St. Anthony coach Cody Rincker. “We needed to see what we’re made of. In the postseason, we’re going to be in games like this.”
John Niebrugge, the head coach for the Indians, was proud of his team’s performance. They were playing without two starters – Dillan Elam, out with a knee injury; and Eli Miller, out with the flu.
“We were literally down an arm and a leg,” Niebrugge said. “We had kids step up in different roles tonight. I’m proud of how the kids took on such a great team with a great coach in a hard place to play. They left everything out there on the floor.”
By Steve Raymond
ET Sports Report
The Alton Redbirds jumped ahead early and never looked back.
They used their quickness and athleticism to apply tough defensive pressure and that provided positive results.
The Redbirds forced eight first-quarter turnovers, converted five of those into baskets and built a double-digit lead in the first three minutes of the game Saturday afternoon.
When it was over, the team from the Metro East Conference had posted a 69-37 victory over Effingham in the third game of the 11th annual Teutopolis Wooden Shoes Shootout.
Six of those eight turnovers came in opening 3½ minutes. And as the steals mounted, so did Alton’s lead. The shooting of Semaj Stampley was also a factor. The sophomore guard hit four shots, including three from behind the arc, to help the Redbirds race to the quick lead.
His third basket from long range, made it 17-2 at the 4:32 mark of the first period.
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