“We played timid and started playing ‘hope’ basketball; hoping we didn’t make a mistake,” THS coach Chet Reeder. “They went small and quick and got us sped up. Everything Mt. Vernon wanted us to do, we did. We played right into their hands.

“We have to be better than this in those situations,” Reeder added. “But that’s why we play good teams like this. It was a learning experience.”

Caleb Siemer and Brendan Niebrugge came up huge for the Shoes in that final period. Both scored eight points and Niebrugge grabbed eight rebounds in that one quarter alone. Siemer’s bucket with 1:11 to play stopped the Rams scoring run.

“Caleb was a calming voice for our team during that fourth quarter,” Reeder noted. “He was really big for us tonight. He drew a lot of attention, but let the game come to him.”

After Nesbit made a free throw to make it 60-58, the Shoes had a chance to widen the gap at the foul line. Garrett Gaddis missed the front end of a bonus – T-Town’s fourth straight miss in the quarter – but Joey Niebrugge grabbed the rebound, was fouled and made both foul shots. That made it 62-58 with 51 seconds still remaining.

“That rebound was a huge moment in the game,” Reeder said. “Joey was one of the few guys that didn’t get sped up. He continued to play under control in that fourth quarter. I hope he continues to build on this.”

Mt. Vernon then failed to answer their next two trips and was forced to foul. Brendan Niebrugge and James Niebrugge both made a pair of free throws to make it an eight-point spread and maintain control, helping the Shoes notch their ninth win of the season.

The game was tight early. A pair of three-pointers by Rolen Adams helped the Rams take a 13-11 lead. But Gaddis had a basket and a free throw in the final minute to put the Shoes on top 14-13 by the end of the opening quarter. They never trailed again.

It was 17-17 three minutes into the second period when Siemer hit back-to-back shots that sparked an 11-4 run. James Niebrugge added a pair of buckets, helping THS take a 28-21 lead into the locker room at halftime.

It was still a seven-point margin when Gaddis scored after grabbing an offensive rebound and Brendan Niebrugge knocked down the first of his two shots from behind the arc to give the Shoes their first double-digit lead of the game, 39-27.

Niebrugg’'s second three gave the hosts their largest lead, 44-30, before Nesbit scored in the final seconds to make it 44-32 heading into the final eight minutes.

Nesbit turned in a sensational game for the Rams. The junior guard scored 33 points, including 18 in the fourth period.

“You don’t contain a player like that,” Reeder said. “You try to force him into taking some off-balance shots and hope he misses a few. He’s a really good player. I told our players he would be the quickest kid we’ll try to guard all season. He causes a lot of problems.”

The Shoes had three players in double figures. Siemer and Joey Niebrugge both turned in double-double performances. Siemer had 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Joey Niebrugge had 11 points and 12 boards. Brendan Niebrugge added 13 points.

The Shoes shot well, making 24-of-43 attempts, a 56 percent clip. They were 2-for-11 from long range and 17-for-27 at the line. They had 16 turnovers, with eight of those coming in the fourth quarter, and held a commanding 37-18 advantage on the boards.

“That was a focal point for us,” Reeder explained. “We gave up 18 offensive rebounds against East Peoria Saturday. We can’t have that. The kids were much better tonight.”

The Shoes improved to 9-1 on the season.

“This was a really good win against a very, very good Mt. Vernon team,” Reeder said. “We’ve had a great first part of our season and have some momentum going into the holiday tournament. We just have to continue taking things one game at a time and try to get better each game.”

The Shoes will return to action on Wednesday, Dec. 28, in an opening-round game of the Effingham-Teutopolis Christmas Classic. They will play Charleston at 7:30 p.m.