Teutopolis girls basketball coach Laurie Thompson knows their schedule in January is going to be a difficult one.

After already playing undefeated Paris twice, the Lady Shoes faced a challenging test Monday night at Civic Memorial in Bethalto.

The Class 3A Lady Eagles improved to 18-2 after posting a 44-35 decision over T-Town.

The Lady Shoes played the state’s No. 4 ranked team strong. They led 12-9 after the opening eight minutes and trailed by just a single point, 19-18, at intermission.

Civic Memorial then got eight points from Anna Hall in the third quarter and eight from Kourtland Tyus in the final period to come away with the victory. The Lady Eagles led 29-25 after three periods and then made 8-of-10 foul shots in the final eight minutes to maintain their lead down the stretch.

Tyus finished with 21 points to lead all scorers.

The Lady Shoes didn’t have a player reach double figures. Lexie Niebrugge scored nine points and Olivia Niemerg had seven. Karsyn Mette led the team with nine rebounds.

T-Town, now 14-5, will return to action Saturday in the Scott Credit Union Highland Girls Basketball Tournament. The Lady Shoes will play Triad at 2:30 p.m.