By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

With 6:16 to play in the third quarter, it looked like an old-fashioned battle-to-the-end basketball game between cross-creek rivals Effingham and Teutopolis.

The score was tied 27-27.

Up to that point, neither team had established control. The game was tied on three occasions and the lead had changed hands four times.

But over the next 12 minutes, that all changed.

The Wooden Shoes then hit three straight shots from behind the arc, sparking a 24-0 scoring run that changed the entire complexion of the game and resulted in a 56-32 victory for the hosts Tuesday night at J.H. Griffin Gymnasium.

“We finally started executing better and we stopped throwing the ball to the team in red,” THS coach Chet Reeder said. “We’re still learning that orange ball is very important. Every possession is important. Possessions are golden.”

Guilty of nine turnovers in the first 16 minutes, the Shoes turned the ball over just twice during that decisive stretch in the second half.

And they made shots. A lot of them.

Mick Niebrugge broke the 27-27 tie with a three-pointer from the top of the key. Gavin Addis and Alex Kremer followed with threes of their own and the scoring spree was underway.

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The Teutopolis Lady Shoes notched their ninth win of the season Thursday and it was an easy one.

The Lady Shoes built up an early 20-point lead and rolled to a 65-30 victory.

Chloe Probst knocked down a three and tallied 11 points in the first eight minutes, as T-Town built a 25-4 advantage. It was 35-11 at halftime and 56-17 after three periods, resulting in the continuously running clock.

Probst finished with a game-high 16 points. She also grabbed five rebounds and had five steals. Malea Helmink scored nine points and pulled down seven boards, while Kelsey Niemerg had seven points and eight rebounds.

The Lady Shoes improved to 9-1 on the season. They will return to action Monday night, traveling to St. Anthony to face their cross-creek rivals.

Crayton Schnierle and Treyton Eller hit back-to-back three-pointers in the fourth quarter Friday night, helping the Bloomington Central Catholic Saints erase a three-point deficit, en route to a 56-49 victory at home over Teutopolis.

The Wooden Shoes, who trailed by seven points at one time in the third period, had rallied to take a three-point advantage. But the long range shots by Schnierle and Eller helped turn the tide. BCC outscored T-Town by 10 points down the stretch to come away with the seven-point win.

The Shoes jumped out to a 9-2 lead, but the Saints got within 13-11 at the end of the first period. The hosts led by a single point, 23-22, at halftime, and carried a 38-36 edge into the final eight minutes.

BCC’s Keshaun Manney led all scorers with 21 points, while Eller had 15 and Schierle added 12. The Saints improved to 3-4 on the season.

Teutopolis also had three players in double figures. Alex Kremer led the way with 13 points, while Gavin Addis scored 11 and Mick Niebrugge added 10.

The Shoes, who dropped to 5-2, will be back in action Tuesday. They will be at home against Effingham.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

It was an odd game.

And certainly not a well-played one.

The Teutopolis Wooden Shoes always seemed to be in control.

During a five-minute stretch in the third quarter, however, a seemingly comfortable 20-point edge dwindled to just four.

But when the fourth period opened, T-Town went on a decisive run, quickly regained its double-digit advantage and rolled to a 55-39 victory Tuesday night over Paris.

It was the THS home opener and it was also Homecoming Night.

“I just came from our locker room and even the boys said this was not acceptable,” THS coach Chet Reeder said. “We didn’t play up to our standards. There was no intensity. We were just out there.

“We didn’t have our best stuff, that’s for sure,” Reeder added. “It was the worst we’ve played this year. We’re still playing a lot of inexperience and we’re still learning and growing. But despite not playing well, the boys still found a way to get it done.”

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