Midway through the third period Friday night, the Shoes threatened to take control of the game. Joey Niebrugge made a free throw and then hit a short jumper to break a 26-26 tie and start a scoring surge. Gaddis converted back-to-back Newton turnovers into buckets.
After a free throw by the Eagles Gus Bierman, Niebrugge hit two more foul shots and Gaddis drove to the basket for another score, capping the 11-1 run and giving THS a double-digit lead, 37-27, with only 54 seconds left.
But if Shoes fans were feeling comfortable, it was short-lived.
Parker Wolf made a free throw and then a jumper at the buzzer to get the host Eagles to within 37-30 heading into the final eight minutes. And that was just the beginning of a Newton surge.
Wolf opened the fourth quarter with a three-pointer. Two minutes later, Caden Nichols also hit from long range and followed that with a jumper inside the arc. With 3:13 to play, Dylan Gier got loose underneath on two straight possessions and hit a pair of short jumpers to give the Eagles their first lead since the opening quarter, 42-41.
Joey Niebrugge responded with a three-pointer from the corner, followed by a basket by Bierman. That made it 44-44 with 1:38 to play and set the stage for an exciting finish.
“We build a lead and then lose it. Build a lead, then lose it,” Reeder noted. “We’ve done this for 31 games. Why not 32?
“This team will make you pull your hair out sometimes,” Reeder added. “But I love ‘em. They can also make winning plays when they need to. And they did it again tonight.”
Those winning plays started at the 1:12 mark when Tyler Pruemer made a strong move and drove to the basket for a score that put the Shoes ahead, 46-44.
Gier was then fouled, but made just one of two foul shots, giving Teutopolis possession with a one-point lead and 53 seconds still left. They Shoes ran 24 seconds off the clock when Zac Niebrugge was fouled. He, too, stepped to the line and calmly made both crucial shots.
According to Reeder, he saw that same look in Zac Niebrugge’s eyes.
“What I saw in Zac was exactly the same,” the THS coach admitted. “He stepped up and knocked down two important free throws. Both Zac and Joey showed a lot of composure in those situations.”
Those foul shots gave the Shoes a three-point edge. But, again, that good feeling didn’t last long. Wolf came right down and drained a long three-pointer to knot the score at 48-48 with 18 seconds to go.
On the ensuing possession, Gaddis made a strong drive to the basket and put up a contested jump shot. It missed, but Joey Niebrugge was there to grab the rebound. On his follow-up shot, he was fouled, setting up the game-winning free throws.
“I have full trust in these guys,” Reeder said. “They have championship DNA. Ever since they first started playing, this group has made plays when they needed to. They just continue to persevere and show everyone they can do this. I’m so happy they get to experience this type of emotion; this type of win.”
Other than two scoring runs that first established a 10-point lead and then wiped it out, the game was extremely close throughout. The lead changed hands six times in the opening period, with the Shoes holding a narrow 14-12 lead.
Neither team shot well in the second quarter, combining to make only 3-of-19 shots. The Shoes did own a five-point edge, 22-17, heading to the locker room at intermission.
“We knew this would be a tough game,” Reeder said. “Newton is a very good team with a great coach. Plus, it was like playing a road game in the postseason. That’s tough to do. Whether it was by one point or 50, this was a tremendous win.”
Wolf led all scorers with 24 points, while Gier added 11 for the Eagles, who finished their season 21-11. They shot 46 percent overall, connecting on 16-of-35 shots. They were 7-for-16 from long range and 9-for-15 at the charity stripe.
Gaddis had 18 to lead the Shoes, while Joey Niebrugge turned in a double-double performance, scoring 10 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. T-Town made 15-of-42 shots, a 36 percent clip. They were 5-for-21 from behind the arc and 15-for-21 at the line.
They also owned a 31-21 rebounding edge, another key to the game. Pruemer helped by grabbing seven boards.
“We knew they had good athletes and that we had to limit their second-chance points,” Joey Niebrugge said. “Rebounding has been a main focus for us all year.”
“Tyler and Joey were tremendous on the boards,” Reeder added. “Tyler doesn’t get enough credit for all the things he does for us. He and Joey came up big on the glass.”
The Shoes will now head to the sectional where their opening game will be a rematch against Tolono Unity. The Rockets came to J.H. Griffin Gymnasium and posted a 60-52 win back on December 2.
“This is where we wanted to be,” Joey Niebrugge said. “We’ve been through a lot of close games with big crowds. Those experiences actually help settle us down. Now we just have to focus on what we need to do next.”
Flora and St. Joseph-Ogden also advanced to the Shelbyville Sectional and will play Tuesday night. The sectional championship is scheduled for 7 p.m. next Friday.
“After finishing third at state last year, we graduated a ton of people,” Reeder added. “It was natural to think that maybe this team wouldn’t be as good. But they’ve used that this year. They’ve had a chip on their shoulder. But I believe this team is built for these types of moments.”
“We can use the momentum from this game,” Gaddis noted. “We just want to keep going as far as we can. We really love this time of year.”
