In Monday night’s opener against Robinson, THS let a double-digit lead slip away in the second half. And less than three minutes into the third period, the Cougars had closed to within six, 34-28.

But Evan Wermert went on a personal 7-0 run. He hit a jumper, followed by a three and then converted a turnover into a driving layup that expanded the lead back to 41-28. Mitch Hardiek had a three-point play and Matthew Deters scored right before the buzzer, giving the Shoes a 48-35 lead heading into the final eight minutes.

Teutopolis kept it going in the fourth quarter. Brock Deters netted six points and Matthew Deters added four more, as the Shoes led by as many as 16 points before settling for the 11-point victory.

“We did better tonight,” Reeder said. “Knowing when teams are on the ropes and how to put a team away will come with growth and maturity as a group.

“We looked much better offensively,” the THS coach added. “We moved the ball better, got it into the paint more and found the wide open guy. We need to look for the great shot rather than a good shot. But, again, we saw improvement.”

Matthew Deters, for the second night in a row, came off the bench and turned in a strong performance. The junior pumped in a game-high 19 points and pulled down a team-high six rebounds.

“Matt is so active and plays so hard. He’s the type of guy that’s always around the rim and the ball,” Reeder noted. “He’s a great rebounder and has worked a lot on his shot. He can step out and stretch the floor. He just hasn’t had the opportunity to show that yet.”

Jordan Hardiek and Wermert also scored in double figures with 13 and 12 points respectively.

T-Town shot 51 percent for the game, making 25-of-49 overall shots. The Shoes were 5-of-16 from behind the arc and, for the second straight game, struggled at the free throw line, connecting on just 7-of-18.

“This is a good group of kids,” Reeder said. “Their mentality is that they want to be better every day. I think we’ll be even better Friday and then just keep getting better as the year goes on. These guys haven’t scratched the surface yet.”

The Shoes will return to action Friday. If the Shoes win that game, they will play for the tournament championship Saturday night.