“Our toughness was on display tonight,” Reeder said. “We were down 13-0 and couldn’t put the ball in the basket from two feet. But the boys knew what they needed to do and just kept at it. Our defense helped us start playing like we needed to. We got some turnovers and manufactured some easy baskets.”

The veteran coach wasn’t pleased with his team’s rebounding effort in the first half, especially on the offensive end.

“For us to miss that many shots and only have six offensive rebounds isn’t acceptable,” Reeder said. “It’s simply not good enough. Not for this group. We talked about that.”

That THS defense forced two turnovers in Highland’s first two possessions of the second half and turned both into points. Siemer scored first to tie the game and Max Niebrugge then buried a shot from long range to give the Shoes their first lead of the contest, 27-24.

The game was tied twice after that, the final time being 29-29. But when James Niebrugge hit a jumper, Siemer added a free throw and Brendan Niebrugge turned another turnover into a basket, the Shoes had a 34-29 lead – one they never relinquished.

Highland’s talented sophomore guard Jake Ottensmeier kept the Bulldogs close. He hit a three-pointer and scored nine second-half points, but it wasn’t enough. His final basket got Highland within 43-41 at the 5:49 mark of the fourth period. He finished with 18 points.

Brendan Niebrugge then connected on a shot from behind the arc, and Siemer and James Niebrugge both hit jumpers, helping the Shoes build a 50-43 lead with 3:08 to play. Highland scored just one point the rest of the way.

“We are not a great offensive basketball team,” Reeder said. “There are going to be times we’ll have difficulty getting the ball in the basket. That’s why our defense is so important. We need that to help us get some easier looks out of transition, plus we need to be aggressive on the offensive boards.”

After making just one of its first 10 shots, T-Town made 60 percent of its attempts the final three quarters, going 18-for-30. They ended 19-for-40 overall, a 48 percent clip. They were 3-for-9 from three-point range and 11-for-20 from the foul line. They held a 23-18 rebounding advantage, with James Niebrugge pulling down a game-high eight.

Brendan Niebrugge and Siemer led the scoring attack, finishing with 18 and 13 points respectively.

“Caleb has gotten so much better,” Reeder said. “He benefitted from guys before him that showed him how to practice hard every day. He’s worked very hard.”

Reeder was also impressed with Brendan Niebrugge, who made 7-of-9 three-pointers on opening night in the Shoes victory over Rantoul.

“Brandon is not just a catch and shoot player, which he showed tonight,” the coach explained. “He had 18 points with only two threes. A lot of guys, after making seven threes, would have come out and started jacking up shots. He didn’t do that. He showed his progression as a player.”

The Shoes, who are now 2-0, will face Mattoon at 4:30 p.m. Friday. A victory over the Green Wave would send THS into the tournament championship game Saturday night.