His first seven shots resulted in seven baskets, with four of them coming from behind the arc. In 4½ minutes, he had already scored 19 points and the Shoes were on their way to a surprisingly easy win over the Green Wave.

In the final 2:49 of the opening period, Mitch Hardiek scored four points and Evan Wermert drilled two more three pointers, giving T-Town a commanding 31-9 advantage.

As well as Jordan Hardiek and his teammates were shooting the ball, the Shoes defense might have been even better. That defense made it difficult for Mattoon to get into any kind of offensive flow and also forced 14 first-half turnovers.

Luke Ungrund and Max Niebrugge took turns defending Mattoon’s Meade Johnson, while Mitch and Jordan Hardiek guarded Dalton Compton, who was 7-for-8 from three-point range in the tourney. Those two were limited to just 18 total points.

“Those were key match-ups,” Reeder said. “Mattoon is a quality opponent that didn’t have a good night. But give credit to our kids. They never let them feel comfortable. They got them frustrated and out of rhythm. That’s the type of defensive intensity we’re looking for.

“Before the game, I told the guys this was going to be a battle,” the THS coach added. “I thought it would be up to who executed the best. I didn’t expect this type of outcome, but it shows just how well we played.”

The lead swelled to 33 points, 44-11, midway through the second quarter. Two 3-pointers by Cam’Ron Thomas and another by Dalton Compton helped the Green Wave get within 48-23 at halftime.

After going scoreless in the second period, Jordan Hardiek was back at it, knocking down the first of a trio of threes in the third quarter. His seventh and final three of the game gave Teutopolis that 30-point margin back. It was 72-40 entering the final eight minutes, resulting in a continuously running clock.

Two other players cracked double figures for the Shoes. Mitch Hardiek finished with 15 points and Matthew Deters, for the third game in a row, came off the bench and added 11.

After shooting a torrid 60 percent in the first half, the Shoes finished 52 percent overall, making 31-of-60 attempts. They were 10-of-26 from behind the arc and 10-for-15 from the charity stripe. They held a 24-17 rebounding advantage and forced Mattoon into 23 turnovers.

The victory now puts Teutopolis into the championship game tonight (Saturday). The Shoes will face St. Anthony at 7:30 p.m.

Is it possible for the Shoes to play better than they did against Mattoon?

“I sure hope so,” Reeder quickly responded. “You don’t want to play your best basketball in the third game of the year. We know we’ll have to play another good game if we expect to do well against St. Anthony. They have a very talented team.”