Matthew Deters hit a free throw that put THS ahead to stay. Ungrund followed with his three and terrific defensive play that resulted in the Wermert layup and a 37-31 advantage heading into the final eight minutes.

But that was just the beginning of what proved to be a 26-5 final run.

Ungrund hit another three and added a basket to make it a double-digit gap, 42-31. After Monticello’s Cooper Mitze made a free throw, the Shoes rattled off the next seven points, with Mitch Hardiek and Evan Addis both hitting jumpers and Ungrund making yet another shot from long range to expand the lead to 49-32 with 3:59 to play.

The Sages made just 1-of-10 shots in the final period and scored only five points. The Shoes, however, were 7-for-9 from the floor and 4-for-5 from the foul line and continued to expand the lead to the final horn.

“Our defense sparked our offense, especially in the second half,” Reeder said. “Our energy wasn’t very high and our ball pressure wasn’t very good in the first half. But when our energy and pressure picked up in the second half, it was no coincidence that our offense picked up as well.

“Our defense started forcing them into doing things they didn’t want to do,” Reeder added. “We created some turnovers, plus we started knocking down shots. In the first half, we didn’t play with any physicality and just ran around on defense. But we picked it up in the second half and you saw the results.”

Early on, it looked like the type of game that would be close throughout. In fact, for much of the first half, the Shoes were playing catch-up.

The Sages had a 14-10 lead after the first eight minutes. And after Mitze scored four straight points and Garrett Kepley added a driving layup, they owned a 24-17 advantage. But in the final two minutes of the first half, the Shoes ran off eight straight points.

Matthew Deters hit two short jumpers, Ungrund scored and Wermert drilled a three right before the buzzer to send the Shoes to the locker room with a 25-24 lead at intermission.

Teutopolis played the game without two of its starters. Both Jordan Hardiek and Brock Deters are dealing with ankle injuries and were held out of the contest.

“Tonight, it was next man up,” Reeder said. “Evan (Addis), Matthew and Max played more minutes and did some very good things tonight. They really came through.”

The Shoes had three players in double figures, led by Ungrund’s 17 points. Both Wermert and Addis added 13.

T-Town shot 46 percent overall, making 21-of-46 shots. The Shoes were 7-for-18 from three-point range and 8-of-11 from the free throw line. Wermert pulled down a game-high nine rebounds, helping THS to a 28-17 advantage on the boards. The Shoes also forced 17 turnovers, while committing just 11.

“When we take care of the basketball, we can be a tough team to deal with,” Reeder said. “When we don’t, that’s not the case. You saw that in the holiday tournament when we had way too many turnovers.”

The Shoes, who improved to 11-3 on the season, will play Friday at St. Thomas More. They will also play Saturday in the St. Anthony Shootout, facing Central A&M at 5 p.m.