With Cade Altadonna getting nine points in the fourth period, the Bulldogs did chip into that lead. Altadonna scored after grabbing an offensive rebound and then hit a pair of free throws – again after grabbing a missed free throw attempt. With 2:48 to play, Highland was in the midst of a 15-4 run and had trimmed the lead to 42-33.

But in the final two minutes, Joey Niebrugge went 3-for-4 from the line, Brendan Niebrugge added a foul shot and Garrett Gaddis made a pair to help the Shoes maintain a double-digit edge to the end.

“One bright spot for us was the different guys that stepped up and made those free throws in a tight situation,” Reeder said. “That was good to see.”

Another good sign was how the team responded when one of its leading scorers – Brendan Niebrugge – had an off-shooting night. Niebrugge was just 1-for-5 from the floor and finished with four points.

“Obviously, we’re a different team when he’s scoring,” Reeder admitted. “But even though Brendan wasn’t shooting the ball well, he still did a lot of good things for us. He was still attacking the rim and playing good defense. For him to score just four points and we still win by 12 is another bright spot.”

The first quarter was tight. The Shoes made only 4-of-15 shots, but after Logan Roepke nailed a three from the corner, Caleb Siemer hit a jumper and Joey Niebrugge added a free throw, T-Town had an 11-8 lead after the first eight minutes.

The second period proved to the determining stretch of the game. The Shoes caught fire at the offensive end and forced Highland into seven turnovers. The result was an 18-6 scoring spree.

After scoring the final six points of the opening quarter, THS completed the 17-0 run by netting the first 11 points of the second period. Joey Niebrugge, Siemer and Mitch Koester all connected from long range and Siemer added a pair of free throws. With 5:49 remaining in the first half, Teutopolis had increased the gap to 22-8.

Gaddis added a fourth three-pointer, plus a layup following a Bulldog turnover, and Tyler Pruemer made a short jumper at the end to give the Shoes a 29-12 advantage at intermission.

“We played well that first half,” Reeder said. “Our offense fed off our defense. Some of those turnovers turned into easy points for us. We have so many guys we can run at their point guard. We have a lot of bodies that can maintain that ball pressure. That makes a big difference. Plus, we had 15 offensive rebounds tonight, which is tremendous.”

T-Town threatened to turn the game into a rout in the third period. James Niebrugge had a pair of baskets, and Siemer and Brendan Niebrugge both hit jump shots, helping the Shoes build that 20-point bulge.

Siemer was the only double-figure scorer for Teutopolis, finishing with 16 points. Joey Niebrugge scored eight and Gaddis added seven. The Shoes shot 36 percent from the floor, making 14-of-39 attempts. They were 5-for-15 from long range and 15-for-22 from the foul line.

They committed 16 turnovers, but held a commanding 33-18 rebounding advantage. James Niebrugge led the way with nine, while Siemer and Joey Niebrugge pulled down eight and seven respectively.

“We still need to improve in many ways, but it’s about getting better every single day,” Reeder said. “That’s our goal.”

The Shoes, now 2-0, will return to tournament action on Friday. They will play Mattoon at 4:30 p.m. If they win that game, they will play for the tourney championship at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.