Cayden Lusch then scored for Centralia, but it was the only shot the Orphans made. They were 1-for-7 overall and were 0-for-4 from behind the arc. Their only other point in the fourth quarter came on a Lusch free throw that made it 41-38 with 27 seconds to play.

After missing three straight free throw attempts – all the front end of a bonus – Mitch Koester made one with 26 seconds left and Brendan Niebrugge then sealed the victory with a pair of foul shots 12 seconds later.

“I thought we executed well on both ends of the floor,” Reeder said. “They had the lead, but we executed a couple sets to start that fourth quarter. I thought our defense was suffocating and then we finally knocked down some free throws.”

The game was close throughout.

Centralia’s Cruz Harlan connected on a pair of three-pointers and scored eight points in the first period. But Siemer had four points, Brendan Niebrugge drilled a three and James Niebrugge hit a late jumper to give the Shoes a 13-10 edge.

Another three by Harlan tied the game at 15-15, but the Shoes responded with a 7-0 run. Brendan Niebrugge had a three plus another jumper and Siemer added a pair of foul shots to make it 22-15. It was a five-point margin, 25-20, at intermission.

The Orphans came alive at the offensive end in the third period, making 6-of-9 shots, including 3-of-4 from deep. Daryle Jones had one of those threes and scored seven points. Lusch knocked down a shot from behind the arc, as did Titus Ashford right before the third quarter buzzer, giving Centralia a 35-32 edge going into the final period.

“Cruz was our No. 1 focal point today,” Reeder noted. “We wanted to limit his threes and not let him get to the rim. We wanted to bottle him up and keep him in the 15-foot range. We didn’t do great on him the first half, but were much better the second half.

“Caleb (Bloemer), Logan (Roepke) and Garrett (Gaddis) had the brunt of guarding him,” the THS coach added. “It was a collective effort. That kid is really good. Holding him scoreless in the second half was a key to this win.”

Harlan was the only player that scored in double figures for the Orphans, who dipped to 22-6 on the season. He had 11 points; all in the first half.

Brendan Niebrugge finished with a game-high 16 points and Joey Niebrugge added 10. The Shoes shot 58 percent from the floor, connecting on 15-of-26 shots overall. They were 4-for-10 from behind the arc and 10-for-14 from the foul line. They held a 19-11 rebounding advantage, with Siemer pulling down seven.

“I was tremendously proud of their effort and trust in each other,” Reeder said. “This was truly a team win. It really was. Everybody did something to help us win tonight.”

THS improved to 21-7 on the season. They will play their regular season finale Tuesday at Mattoon.