By Steve Raymond
ET Sports Report
What do Averie Wolfe, Bria Beals, Sidney Donaldson and Bella Austin all have in common?
They each knocked down at least one three-pointer Tuesday night.
In fact, that foursome combined to make 14 shots from behind the arc.
That red-hot shooting helped the Effingham Lady Hearts get the lead, expand the lead and then seal the deal.
The end result was an impressive 75-59 victory over Mt. Vernon in a semifinal game of the Effingham Class 3A Sectional.
The Lady Hearts, winners of 13 straight, will now play Highland for the sectional championship. The Lady Bulldogs defeated Herrin, 42-26, in Tuesday night’s first semifinal game. The sectional final is set for 7 p.m. Thursday at Effingham High School.
EHS posted a narrow two-point win over Mt. Vernon back on November 30 and another close game was expected Tuesday night. And for one quarter, it was. Austin connected on a pair of threes, Wolfe and Beals each had one and the hosts held a slim 12-11 lead.
It was still a close game midway through the second period with the Lady Hearts on top, 22-18. And then the game-changing and game-deciding run kicked in over the final four minutes of the half.
By Steve Raymond
ET Sports Report
Too many turnovers and too few baskets.
That’s pretty much been the story for the Effingham Hearts for much of this season.
And was again Monday night.
The Hearts turned the ball over 16 times and made just 9 shots in the game.
The Charleston Trojans scored the first eight points of the game and were never threatened, rolling to a 64-34 victory in an opening-round game of the Charleston Class 3A Regional.
The No. 8 Trojans, who improved to 13-19 on the season, will now face No. 2 seed Mt. Vernon on Wednesday night.
An underdog always hopes to get off to a good start. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen for the Hearts. They missed their first three shots and turned the ball over three times in the first five minutes. The hosts converted two of those into baskets, including a pair of jumpers from Adam Rudibaugh, who transferred to Charleston this year after playing at Effingham St. Anthony.
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 Effingham Hearts will enter postseason play in the Charleston Regional.
The Hears are seeded No. 10 and will play their first game on Monday, Feb. 19. They will play against the host Trojans at 7 p.m.
The regional championship is set for 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 23.
The winner will advance to the Troy (Triad) Sectional, which will begin Tuesday, Feb. 27. Regional winners from Marion, Freeburg and Jerseyville will also advance to the Troy Sectional.
Here is the complete schedule for the Charleston Regional.
Monday, Feb. 19
Game 1 – 7 p.m. – No. 10 Effingham at No. 8 Charleston
Wednesday, Feb. 21
Game 2 – 6 p.m. – No. 2 Mt. Vernon vs. Winner Game 1
Game 3 – 7:30 p.m. – No. 3 Olney (Richland County) vs. No. 7 Mattoon
Friday, Feb. 23
Game 4 – 7 p.m. – Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 3 (championship)
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.
Page 13 of 74
