Armando Estrada and Volpi hit threes and Logan Heil scored four points, as the Hearts tried to stay within striking distance. But James Niebrugge had six points in the quarter – 10 in the second half – Siemer also scored six, and the Shoes converted 7-of-11 free throws down the stretch to maintain their lead and secure the victory.

“Right out of the gate to start the second half, James came to score,” Reeder said. “When he plays like that, and looks to score, he makes us a better team; takes us to a different level. We needed James to raise his level of play and he did that in the second half.”

The Hearts jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first three minutes. Garrett Wolfe knocked down a pair of threes and scored 12 points in the opening eight minutes. But the Shoes responded with nine straight points to take the lead. With Siemer scoring seven points, T-Town held an 18-14 lead heading into the second period.

Back-to-back baskets by Wolfe and Heil got Effingham back to an 18-18 tie, but Siemer scored off an offensive rebound and Brendan Niebrugge connected from behind the arc and the Shoes had a lead they never relinquished.

At halftime, THS was on top 25-22.

With James Niebrugge hitting the first two buckets and Max Niebrugge adding another, the Shoes opened a nine-point bulge, 31-22, quickly in the third period. But Volpi drilled a couple threes, Heil had a bucket and Wolfe made a pair of foul shots to get the Hearts within 35-32.

Then Ruholl came through with his big shot and Teutopolis rolled from there.

Following the game, it was rebounding that had Effingham coach Obie Farmer upset. Or lack thereof. T-Town dominated the backboards, owning a 30-13 advantage.

“That was the difference in the game, especially their offensive rebounding,” he noted. “They attacked the basket hard and got a lot of second and third chance points. Those were huge. One basket a quarter like that can make a big difference at the end.”

Farmer was extremely pleased with the play of Heil, a junior, who saw his season-high in minutes played. The 6’3” junior battled hard inside and gave Effingham a post presence. He finished with eight points and a team-high five rebounds.

“He’s seen very limited varsity minutes so far,” Farmer said. “He’s a big, strong kid and that can bang with people inside. He gave us points and rebounds. He did a great job. He’ll be seeing some more minutes going forward.”

Wolfe led all scorers with 20 points and Volpi added 12. The Hearts made 17-of-43 shots, a 39 percent clip. They were 6-for-14 from three-point range and 7-for-8 from the charity stripe.

Siemer and James Niebrugge paced the Shoes, scoring 19 and 16 points respectively. Siemer turned in another double-double, grabbing 12 rebounds. THS shot 43 percent overall, connecting on 22-of-51 attempts. They were 3-of-10 from long range and 11-for-16 from the foul line.

“When Kayden (Althoff) went down with an injury, I challenged James, Caleb and Mitch (Althoff) to grab every rebound,” Reeder said. “They’ve responded very well. Over the past five games, Caleb is averaging 12 rebounds a game. It’s been incredible to watch his growth and maturity.”

The Hearts, who went 2-2 in the tournament, are now 4-10 overall. They will play Tuesday, Jan. 4, at home against Olney.

“This is a great tournament; one of the best in the state,” Farmer said. “I thought our kids played pretty well; better than they have the past couple weeks. I think they’re starting to hit their stride and playing the right way. I think we’re starting to click. Now we just have to keep it up.”

The Shoes went 3-1 in the tourney and improved to 11-3 on the season. They will also play Tuesday, Jan. 4, at home against Monticello.

“I was really pleased with our team,” Reeder said. “Going 3-1 in this tournament is good. We were all upset with the Newton game. We felt like we let one get away. But a lot of teams would have shut down after a disappointing loss like that. These kids didn’t. I was very pleased with how they bounced back the past two games.

“This is an awesome tournament,” Reeder added. “It’s the people. The committee and all that help make the difference. They really take care of us. If there’s a team looking for tournament, this is the one to come to. They need to be knocking on the door and trying to get in here.”