They missed all seven of their shots and turned the ball over six times. Nashville got five points from Kolten Gajewski, a long three by Isaac Turner and a breakaway dunk by Saxton Hoepker in the final seconds to build that 10-0 lead.

“We got some good looks, but even missed our layups in that first quarter,” Reeder noted. “We rushed ourselves a little, but overall, we executed our offense pretty well. We just couldn’t make any shots and it just snowballed from there.”

The one bright spurt for T-Town came in the opening 2½ minutes of the second quarter. James Niebrugge got the Shoes on the board with a pair of free throws. Dylan Pruemer then converted a Nashville turnover into a basket and Caleb Siemer made a foul shot to trim to lead to 10-5 at the 5:30 mark.

Teutopolis had two more opportunities to get even closer, but missed one shot and turned the ball over on another possession. The Hornets then scored the next seven points to regain the double-digit lead.

But, again, the Shoes had a chance to gain a little momentum heading into halftime. Siemer hit a short jumper, and following another Nashville miscue, THS had another good shot at getting even closer. But a three-point attempt by Pruemer in the final seconds was off-target and T-Town went to the locker room trailing 16-7.

After the opening 16 minutes, they had made just 2 of their 15 shots.

“I felt like we were only a shot or two away from making a real game out of it that whole first half,” Reeder said. “After we got it to 10-5, we had two chances to get close. And then we had a good look at the end of the half. We had a chance to get the momentum on our side.”

Any thoughts of a comeback were dashed in the third period. Again, the Shoes were ice cold, missing all six of their shots. And, again, they gave away too many possessions, turning the ball over six more times.

Nashville took advantage. Nolan Heggemeier knocked down a three and scored five points, and both Hoepker and Gajewski netted four more, helping the Hornets go on a 13-1 surge and take a commanding 29-8 lead into the final quarter.

Siemer scored eight points in the fourth period, but it wasn’t nearly enough. Nashville knocked down 7-of-11 free throws down the stretch to increase its lead and finish with the 26-point victory.

Hoepker and Gajewski led the Hornets in scoring, finishing with 16 and 13 points respectively. They shot 52 percent from the floor, making 14-of-27 attempts. They were 2-for-8 from three-point range and 14-for-20 from the foul line. They held a 17-12 rebounding advantage.

For the Shoes, Siemer scored 12 of the team’s 18 points. James Niebrugge, Pruemer and Mitch Althoff each had two points apiece. T-Town finished 6-for-35, an ice cold 17 percent clip. They were 0-for-13 from behind the arc and 6-for-8 at the free throw line. Siemer also had seven rebounds.

It was a disappointing end to a terrific season that saw the Shoes finish 26-8. The program has now reached the Super Sectional – or Elite Eight – 7 of the last 11 seasons. Unfortunately, those teams have been unable to advance beyond that.

“Reaching the Elite Eight will never be a bad thing,” Reeder said. “It is always a tremendous accomplishment. We’re going to keep working hard. We’ll be back.”

It was also tough saying goodbye to this group of seniors – Mitch Althoff, Max Niebrugge, Dylan Pruemer, Joey Ruholl, Kayden Althoff, Derek Konkel and Cade Buehnerkemper.

“This group is special. They came in with me four years ago,” Reeder said. “They’re like me. People doubted them and didn’t think they belonged. But they did all the things to make this program thrive. They left a tremendous footprint for the younger kids coming up. I love these guys.”

Nashville, now 25-4, will advance to the Class 2A State Tournament, which will be played Thursday and Saturday at the State Farm Center in Champaign.

The Hornets will face Chicago DePaul College Prep at 4 p.m. Thursday. The first semifinal will feature Taylor Ridge vs. Monticello at 2:30 p.m. The third place game will be played at 8:30 p.m. Thursday and the championship contest is set for 12:30 p.m. Saturday.