Sophomore Kaitlyn Schumacher scored 10 points in the fourth quarter Friday night, helping the Teutopolis Lady Shoes pull away for a 63-48 victory over Salem in an opening-round game of the 19th annual Lady Wildcat Thanksgiving Tournament in Salem.
The Lady Shoes built a 21-7 lead after the opening quarter, but the Lady Wildcats outscored T-Town 32-22 over the next two periods to close to within 43-39 heading into the final eight minutes.
But Schumacher, who also had 11 steals in the game, pumped in 10 points to help the Lady Shoes regain control and seal the victory.
The defensive pressure applied by Teutopolis was the difference. The Lady Shoes forced 30 turnovers in the contest and converted several of those into baskets. In addition to Schumacher’s 11, Olivia Niemerg also had seven steals in the game.
T-Town had four players reach double figures. Schumacher and Niemerg led the way with 16 points each, while Ciara Roepke scored 15 and Claire Bushur added 12.
The Lady Shoes, now 2-0, will play two tournament games today (Saturday). They will play Highland at noon and Carterville at 5:30 p.m. THS Coach Laurie Thompson expects both of those teams to be very good.