The Shoes led 43-37 heading into the final eight minutes. Parker Wolfe scored after grabbing an offensive rebound to get the Hearts within four, but T-Town responded with a 7-0 run. Mitch Hardiek hit a pair of free throws, Evan Addis contributed a three-point play and Jordan Hardiek made two more foul shots to expand the margin to double digits, 50-39, with 3:50 to play.

Wolfe poured in 14 points in the fourth period, but Effingham was unable to get any closer than seven the rest of the way. The Shoes made their first 11 free throws of the quarter and made 15-of-17 to help maintain their lead down the stretch and secure the victory.

Overall, THS played extremely well in the final 16 minutes. Free throw shooting and turnovers have been problematic for the Shoes at times this year. But in the second half Friday night, they were 17-for-20 at the foul line and committed just five turnovers.

“Turnovers have been a big stat for us this season,” Reeder said. “In each of our three losses, we turned the ball over a ton of times. And we had 10 turnovers in the first half. The unforced turnovers are what drive me crazy. But we did a much better job taking care of the ball in the second half. If we limit turnovers and rebound, we’re a tough team to beat.”

And a tweak in their man-to-man defense was also a factor.

“We normally switch at four spots,” Reeder explained. “But tonight, we didn’t switch on any of the screens. Luke (Ungrund) was on Wolfe, Mitch was on Nate (Thompson) and Jordan was on Drew (Thompson). Since Mitch was in foul trouble, Evan guarded Nate most of the game.

“Obie does some nice things offensively and causes a lot of problems if you don’t handle it,” Reeder added. “I didn’t like the match-ups if we switched on the screens, so we didn’t switch. It’s the first time I’ve ever done that, but the kids did a good job.”

“They did a good job of face-guarding Parker,” Farmer noted. “When we can’t shake him free, it can make things tough on us. They also did a good job of helping on defense and taking away our drives to the basket.

“Plus, we were only 4-of-17 on threes,” Farmer said. “That also made things pretty tough for us. If we shot better from the perimeter, they wouldn’t have been able to help so much on our drives. But our shots weren’t falling and that hurt.”

The first half was close throughout.

Drew Thompson, who missed a couple games with a foot injury, was back and connected on a pair of 3-pointers in the opening period. But Mitch Hardiek’s three gave THS a slim 12-11 lead after eight minutes.

Wolfe, Nate Thompson and Jacob Stoneburner each scored and Drew Thompson made another from long range, sparking a 9-3 run that gave the Hearts a 20-15 advantage midway through the second period.

A bucket by Nate Thompson gave EHS its biggest lead of the game, 24-18, but Wermert scored five late points, including a 3-pointer with just six seconds to go to bring the Shoes within 26-24 as the teams headed to the locker room at halftime.

Wolfe led all scorers with 23 points. Nate and Drew Thompson added 14 and 11 points respectively for the Hearts. Nate Thompson also had seven rebounds.

Effingham shot 45 percent overall, connecting on 23-of-51 shots. The Hearts were 4-of-17 from three-point range and 7-of-9 from the free throw line. They turned the ball over 16 times.

The Shoes also had three players in double figures. Mitch Hardiek had his best scoring game of the season, finishing with 17 points. Jordan Hardiek added 13 and Wermert had 11. Brock Deters pulled down nine rebounds.

“Mitch is sneaky shooter,” Reeder said. “For him to catch the ball in rhythm and take his shots is big for us. I think he’s gaining more confidence in his shot. Plus, he’s always there for us on defense. He is so difficult to play against.”

The Shoes shot 43 percent overall, making 19-of-44 attempts. They were 7-for-21 from behind the arc and 21-for-27 at the foul line. They held a 24-21 rebounding edge and finished with 15 turnovers.

“When you talk about everything – free throw shooting, turnovers, rebounding – this was one of our best performances of the season,” Reeder noted. “But we still have a lot of room for improvement. We’ll be even better in a month.”

“This is a game we wanted to win, but let it get away from us,” Farmer said. “This is a tough game for us. If we win, we’re supposed to win because we’re the bigger school. And if we lose, people don’t understand why we don’t beat a smaller school. I feel bad for our kids.”

Effingham, now 9-5 on the season, will play three times next week – at home Tuesday against Mahomet-Seymour; at home Friday against Mt. Zion; and against Casey-Westfield at 3:30 Saturday afternoon at the St. Anthony Shootout.

Reeder agreed it was a big game.

“But the big games seem to bring out the best in our kids,” he said. “I have total confidence in our guys. When it comes to the big situations, our guys will perform to the best of their ability every time.”

The Shoes, now 10-3, will also play three games next week -- at home Tuesday against Monticello; Friday at St. Thomas More; and at 5 p.m. Saturday against Central A&M in the St. Anthony Shootout.