After an early 2-2 tie, the Lady Shoes got a pair of 3-pointers and a three-point play from Lexie Niebrugge that sparked a 13-0 scoring run to open an early double digit lead.

T-Town led 17-8 after the first eight minutes and still owned a nine-point cushion, 21-12, three minutes into the second quarter. But Meredith Schaefer’s 3-pointer from the corner ignited a scoring surge for the Lady Hearts.

Marissa Allie then hit a short jumper, Ella Niebrugge converted a three-point play and Madison Mapes added a basket to complete the 10-0 run and give Effingham it’s first and only lead of the contest, 22-21.

But on T-Town’s next possession, Kaitlyn Schumacher grabbed on offensive rebound and scored. That started a 10-1 run to close out the first half. Kaylee Niebrugge had a 3-pointer and another jumper right at the end to help the Lady Shoes take a 31-23 advantage into the locker room at intermission.

“I’m not disappointed overall by the way we played,” EHS coach Jeff Schafer said. “We did a good job of scoring points against a really good team. But I am disappointed that we didn’t play better defense at the end of that second quarter. We should have been closer at halftime.”

The lead fluctuated between seven and nine points for the first four minutes of the third period. But the Lady Shoes kept pouring the ball through the basket and the lead continued to grow.

T-Town made 10-of-14 shots in the third period. And in the final 90 seconds, Izzy Hardiek hit a jumper, Lexie Niebrugge knocked down a three and Schumacher added another basket right before the buzzer. Heading into the final quarter, the Lady Shoes owned a 54-35 advantage.

Effingham got a strong second half from Taylor Armstrong, who made a pair of three-pointers and scored 13 points, but the Lady Hearts just couldn’t overcome the hot shooting of the Teutopolis squad. The Lady Shoes went 7-for-11 in the fourth quarter and led by as many as 21 points before settling for the 19-point victory.

“They played phenomenal that second half and we didn’t play with the same intensity,” Schafer noted. “They’re tough to guard. They have all kinds of weapons. And when they shoot it like that, they will be tough to beat. It’s nice to have good shooters. Plus, they play with a lot of confidence.”

Lexie Niebrugge led the Lady Shoes with 17 points, while Kaylee Niebrugge scored 11, and Hardiek and Emily Konkel both had 10. And Schumacher turned in a double-double, scoring 12 points and pulling down 12 rebounds.

“She’s a good player,” Thompson said. “Kaitlyn always seems to be around the ball. She’s long and lean and jumps well. She needs to keep gobbling up those rebounds. And tonight, she got some second chance points with a few of those rebounds.”

Teutopolis connected on 29-of-55 shots overall, a 53 percent clip. The Lady Shoes were 6-of-16 from behind the arc and 5-of-7 from the free throw line. They owned a 29-18 rebounding advantage and turned the ball over seven times.

Armstrong netted 17 points for Effingham and Niebrugge added nine. Niebrugge and Annie Frost both had five rebounds. The Lady Hearts shot 46 percent, connecting on 19-of-41 attempts. They were 5-for-13 from long range and 7-of-13 from the foul stripe. They had 15 turnovers.

EHS is now 2-2 overall and 2-1 in conference play. They will have two more home games this week – Thursday against Lincoln and Saturday against Charleston.

The Lady Shoes improved to 3-0 overall and in the Apollo. They have three more contests this week – tonight (Tuesday) at St. Anthony; Thursday at home against Charleston; and Saturday at Mahomet-Seymour.

“I’m pleased with where we’re at right now,” Thompson said. “We just need to keep improving. It’s too bad these kids won’t have a postseason this year. I really think this team could make a run.”