“We dug ourselves a hole in that fourth quarter,” Reeder said. “The boys could have quit, but they didn’t. They executed well and we finally made a couple shots. I’m proud of them and the way they battled.

“This is a heckuva team we lost to,” Reeder added. “It’s one of the best teams we’ve played this year. We didn’t play our best, but they are very good defensive team. That’s what Coach (Tom) Brannan’s teams are known for.”

Casey-Westfield held an 18-15 lead after a low-scoring first half. The lead fluctuated between one and five points much of the third period, but Caleb Patrick’s two late baskets gave the Warriors a 32-25 edge entering the final eight minutes.

After Brock Deters made a free throw to open the fourth quarter to cut the lead to six, Casey-Westfield’s Noah Livingston hit a jumper and Will Hosselton connected on a three to expand the lead to 11 points and set the stage for the final seven minutes.

Wermert finished with a game-high 18 points, with 12 of those coming in the fourth quarter. Luke Ungrund added 10.

It was a cold shooting night for the Shoes. They were 15-of-54 overall, a 35 percent clip, and just 5-for-26 from behind the arc.

The Shoes, now 17-9 on the season, will return to action Saturday in the final game of the Teutopolis Shootout. They will face Jerseyville, who is coached by Reeder’s brother, Stote.

“He’s in his 15th season at Jerseyville,” Reeder explained. “It will be fun to compete against him again. We played against each other four times when I was at Sullivan. I owe a lot to Stote. But it’s not about us. It’s about T-Town vs. Jerseyville.”

Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.