In the opening quarter, the Shoes showed patience against a tough defense by Paris. Niebrugge did get open inside a couple times and scored and Emily Konkel added a three-pointer. At the end of the first eight minutes, Paris held a slim 8-7 lead.

But things got bad offensively in the second period and the Lady Tigers took advantage. Five different Paris players scored, but Molly Ruholl’s three was the only shot out of 11 attempts that went in for T-Town. Niebrugge added a free throw, but the Lady Shoes trailed 20-11 at intermission.

“They took Kaylee out of the game, which is what good teams do,” Thompson noted. “We need an inside-outside game, and right now, we don’t have that. The girls need to be willing to attack the gaps and make shots. We can’t be one-dimensional.”

A pair of foul shots by Niebrugge and a layup by Konkel after a steal got the Lady Shoes within eight points, 23-15, midway through the third period. But they made just one more shot in the quarter and were trailing by double digits, 28-18, entering the final eight minutes.

Defensive pressure by Teutopolis caused Paris difficulties in the first few minutes of the fourth period. A turnover resulted in a three-point play by Konkel. That gave the Lady Shoes some momentum and had them within nine points, 31-22.

Two more buckets by Konkel made it 35-27 with 2:08 to play, but the Tigers went 8-for-8 from the line in the final two minutes to secure the win and improve to 12-0 on the season.

“We dug ourselves too big of a hole,” Thompson said. “You can’t do that against good teams.

“Paris has a point guard to run the show and they’re good inside,” the THS coach added. “They have quickness, plus they’re physical and scrappy, and they get up and down the floor. They take care of the ball, they’re good shooters and they make free throws. They have all the part to be a complete team.

“That’s why we play good teams,” Thompson continued. “We need to see what good teams can do. Now we have to go back to work and fix our weaknesses and improve on our strengths. I believe we can do that. I have faith in this team.”

Kendra Young had a game-high 13 points for Paris, while Trinity Tingley added 10. The Lady Tigers shot 52 percent from the floor, connecting on 13-of-25 shots. They were 4-for-9 from long range and 13-for-16 at the free throw line.

The Lady Shoes got 12 points from Konkel, while Niebrugge and Ruholl scored seven and six points respectively. They were 9-for-37 from the field, just 24 percent. They were 3-for-14 from behind the arc and 6-for-9 from the foul line.

The Lady Shoes dipped to 9-2 on the season. They will be off until playing in the Charleston Holiday Tournament, which is set for Monday through Wednesday, Dec. 26-28.

T-Town will play twice on December 26 – noon against Charleston; and 4:30 p.m. against Danville. The Lady Shoes will play Effingham at 4:30 p.m. on December 27; and conclude tourney play with two games December 28 – 1:30 p.m. against Jacksonville; and 6 p.m. against Tri-County.