The Knights connected on four shots from long range in the second period. A three-point play by Lucas Thompson made it a 16-point bulge before Niebrugge hit a short jumper just ahead of the buzzer that made it 29-15 as the two teams headed to the locker room at intermission.

“In that second quarter, we just let Triad do whatever they wanted to on offense,” Reeder noted. “We didn’t defend them defensively and we didn’t execute very well in our offense. We got in a hurry and just started dribbling rather than letting our offense work. You can’t do that, especially against a good team.”

To their credit, the Shoes came out in the second half and immediately cut into the deficit. Back-to-back threes from Alex Kremer and Drew Hoene cut it to 29-21. Kremer then hit a free throw, Niebrugge turned a Triad turnover into a basket, and following a technical on the Knights’ coach, Kremer made another foul shot, completing the 10-0 surge and narrowing the gap to four, 29-25, at the 5:10 mark.

“We really picked up the pressure in that third quarter,” Reeder said. “Overall, I was pleased with our effort and energy the entire second half. But after we cut it to four, we missed a couple of defensive assignments and didn’t do much offensively after that.”

Tyler Thompson scored and Drew Winslow converted two straight THS turnovers into baskets, helping the Knights quickly regain their double-digit advantage, 36-25. It was a nine-point spread, 38-29, heading into the final eight minutes.

Gavin Addis hit a pair of threes and Landyn Thoele added another from behind the arc to keep the Shoes within striking distance. The final three by Addis cut the margin to six, 44-38, at the 1:58 mark, but T-Town was unable to put any more points on the board.

The Knights, who improved to 23-6, had four players in double figures. Lucas Thompson led the way with 13 points, while Winslow, Nolan Keller and Tyler Thompson each had 10.

Triad shot 53 percent overall, making 19-of-36 attempts. They were 7-of-13 from long range and 3-of-4 from the foul line.

“They are very good,” Reeder said. “They’re long at every position, plus they’re quick, they can shoot and they’re solid defensively. They will be a tough out in 3A.”

Niebrugge paced the Shoes with 12 points and Addis had 10. T-Town made 13-of-38 shots overall, a 34 percent clip. They were 6-for-24 from behind the arc and 6-for-12 at the line. They did hold a 21-16 rebounding edge, with Niebrugge pulling down a game-high nine. The Shoes turned the ball over 15 times.

“We have to cut down on our turnovers and we need to find ways to generate some easier baskets within our offense,” Reeder said. “But overall, I’m pleased with how this group has progressed over the past few weeks.”

The Shoes, now 18-10 on the season, will play their final two regular season games this week. They will travel to Mattoon on Tuesday and then return home to face Olney on Friday.