Joey Niebrugge hit a pair of foul shots, Siemer scored six straight points, Garrett Gaddis converted a turnover into a three-point play and James Niebrugge hit a short jumper. With 2:46 to play in the opening quarter, the Shoes were on top 13-0.

During that stretch, Alton Marquette went 0-for-5 from the floor, missed four straight free throws and turned the ball over three times.

When the first eight minutes were completed, it was 15-2. And things just got worse for the Explorers in the second period, largely due to the red-hot shooting of Brendan Niebrugge.

The senior hit back-to-back threes to open the period and then added another jumper, followed by a bucket by Siemer – after yet another offensive rebound – to complete the 10-0 spurt and make the score 25-2.

Alton Marquette made just one shot in each of the first two periods. A three-pointer by Dre Davis made it 25-5, but the Shoes ended the first half on a 9-0 spurt. Brendan Niebrugge hit three more shots, including another from behind the arc, and Siemer closed it out with a short jumper to send THS to the locker room with a commanding 34-5 advantage.

“The guys really executed the game plan,” THS coach Chet Reeder said. “The key defensively was keeping (Parker) Macias under control. (Braden) Kline and (Kendall) Lavendar are good scorers, but Macias is the key.

“They struggled getting into their offense,” Reeder added. “I thought we suffocated them defensively and we controlled the boards. It was one-and-done for them.”

The final 16 minutes was simply a matter of formality. The outcome was no longer in doubt, although Reeder wanted his team to continue “playing the right way.”

“Teams advance to the sectional for a reason,” he said. “They’re a good team and I knew they’d keep competing. We couldn’t just shut it down.”

The Shoes led by as many as 31 points in the third period and were on top, 44-20, heading into the final quarter, before settling for the 26-point victory.

The Explorers, who ended their season at 21-13, got eight points from Macias. After shooting just 13 percent in the first half, making 2-of-15 shots, they finished 12-for-39, a 31 percent clip. They were 2-for-12 from behind the arc and 2-for-7 at the foul line.

The Shoes got 20 points from Siemer and 17 from Brendan Niebrugge. They were 21-of-44 from the floor, a 48 percent effort. They made 3-of-12 from long range and were 9-for-9 at the foul line. They held a commanding 33-14 rebounding edge, with Siemer pulling down 15.

“I figured they would do something to try to take Caleb away tonight,” Reeder said. “But he did a great job. The guys moved the ball and did a good job finding him without forcing the ball. It showed how our kids trust each other.”

Teutopolis will now face a 26-8 Lawrenceville team. The Indians hosted and won their own regional and then beat Greenville, 73-64, in overtime Tuesday night to advance to the sectional final.

“They have a very good team,” Reeder said. “Coach (Randy) Bishop is a great coach. He’s a Hall of Famer for a reason. It should be an excellent game. It will probably come down to who executes the best and who makes the most shots.”

THS is now 26-7 on the season.