Caleb Siemer’s short jumper at the end of the first quarter ignited what turned into an 18-0 run. The Panthers turned the ball over on four straight possessions to start the second period and the Shoes converted each one into a score. Brendan Niebrugge hit a three, Mitch Althoff added a jumper and Dylan Pruemer scored on back-to-back possessions, helping the Shoes expand the gap to 22-5.

But they weren’t finished. Brendan Niebrugge and Althoff both scored and sophomore Garrett Gaddis knocked down a three from the corner to complete the scoring spree and increase the advantage to 24 points, 29-5. The Shoes also scored the final seven points of the half to take a commanding 36-8 lead at intermission.

“Our defensive effort was outstanding,” Reeder admitted. “We thought out ball press could cause problems for them. As it turned out, it overwhelmed them. We put them into spots they didn’t want to be. We contested and challenged everything. That was our game plan. It was a great effort by our guys.

“Offensively, we talked about being quick, but not hurry,” Reeder added. “I thought we did a good job with that. We played fast, but played under control and took good shots.”

Both Brendan and Max Niebrugge hit three-pointers in the third period and following a bucket by Pruemer, the Shoes had their largest lead of the game, 48-12, at the 1:45 mark. The mercy rule kicked in for the final quarter and the clock ran continuously.

Brendan Niebrugge was the only double-figure scorer in the game, finishing with 16 points, but Althoff and Siemer both added eight. Althoff also had a team-high six rebounds, helping the Shoes to a big 23-9 edge on the boards. THS also forced PBL into 17 turnovers.

The Shoes made 51 percent of their shots, knocking down 22-of-43. They were 7-for-17 from behind the arc and 4-for-6 at the foul line.

T-Town improved to 21-7 with the win. They will close out their regular season with two games next week – Tuesday at home against Mattoon; and Thursday at Woodlawn.

“Even though we played very well today, we don’t want this to be our best game,” Reeder said. “Next week we need to be even better.

“I think we’re in a good spot right now,” Reeder added. “We’re taking care of the basketball better and we’re shooting the ball better. With a week to go, we want to being playing our best basketball come regional time.”