“I thought the girls came out and played strong,” THS coach Laurie Thompson said. “They were really focused and followed the game plan. We’ve been through some adversity the last couple weeks with the injuries. I’m really proud of the girls.”

The game couldn’t have started out better for Teutopolis. Midway through the opening quarter, the Lady Shoes were 4-for-5 from the floor, including a pair of three-pointers, and that defense had already forced eight turnovers. In fact, the Lady Aces hadn’t even got off a shot and were already trailing 10-0.

“We wanted to get out and guard and make it tough getting the ball into their post players,” Thompson explained. “That’s their strength. We also knocked down some shots, which helped us settle down.”

Kaylee Niebrugge sparked THS at the offensive end, connecting on one of those threes and scoring seven early points. That helped the Lady Shoes maintain that double-digit lead through the first eight minutes. It was 14-4 heading into the second period.

But early in that second quarter, Niebrugge was whistled for her second foul and taken out of the game.

“I was really made at myself for that,” Niebrugge admitted. “It was a lazy foul. I should have been more disciplined. But the other girls stepped up and played really well.”

One of those players was Katie Kremer, who came off the bench and played the rest of the first half with Niebrugge on the bench. Another was Molly Ruholl, who connected on three shots from behind the arc in the opening half, including a pair of three-pointers from the corner that helped T-Town stay ahead in the second quarter.

“Katie came in and played real good defense on their bigs and also got some rebounds,” Thompson said. “And those shots by Molly were huge for us. Courtney (Gibson) also played well. She was good on defense and pulled down some big rebounds. Everybody contributed tonight. This was a good team win.”

Ruholl’s second three gave the Lady Shoes a 12-point advantage, 22-10, but the Lady Aces scored the final four points of the first half to get within 22-14. They also scored the first basket of the third period to make just a six-point spread, 22-16.

“I just told the girls to keep following the game plan and not let up,” Thompson noted.

Gibson hit a jumper and Konkel made a pair of foul shots to re-establish the double-digit margin. It was a nine-point lead when Konkel hit a three and then added another bucket and Niebrugge hit a short jumper to complete the 7-0 run and send the Lady Shoes into the final eight minutes with a 16-point advantage, 35-19.

The Lady Aces, who finished their season at 17-16, were unable to get closer than 14 points in the final period.

“It felt good to be out there playing,” Konkel admitted. “I don’t really know what was wrong with my foot. There was just a lot of pain in both the top and bottom of it. I iced it before the game, so it was kind of numb when it started. It hurt a little during the game, but it wasn’t unbearable. Plus, we wanted to win this game real bad.”

“It was nice having her back,” Thompson added. “She helps put everybody at ease. I wasn’t worried about her stamina. In four years, I’ve never seen her out-of-shape. And once she got going, the foot loosened up and she played really well.”

Niebrugge turned in a game-high 16 points. Konkel and Ruholl both scored nine.

“That was tallest team we’ve played,” Niebrugge said. “My inside game is decent, but I’m not just a post player. When I was inside, they were difficult to get around. They had long arms. I had to use body more tonight to get a good shot.”

The Lady Shoes made 17-of-47 shots overall, a 36 percent clip. They were 5-for-12 from long range and 6-for-10 at the foul line. They also held a 24-16 rebounding advantage and forced the Lady Aces into 23 turnovers.

The Lady Shoes, who improved to 25-5 on the season, will now advance to the Pana Sectional. They will face the host Pana team at 6 p.m. Tuesday. Pana won the Warrensburg-Latham Regional. Robinson, who won the Flora Regional, will face Paris, who captured its own regional, at 7:30 p.m.

“We’re excited about going to the sectional,” Niebrugge admitted. “We need to push each other in practice. These are big games, but I think we can do it.”

“We also want to do it for Miss T,” Konkel added, referring to her coach. “We love Miss T. We also know she loves us and would do anything for us. That’s why we play our butts off for her.”

“This never gets old,” Thompson said, when asked about the program’s regional winning streak. “It’s important to these girls. For this team, winning the regional is still special.”