By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

Good teams find a way to win.

Even when they have a rash of turnovers, miss free throws and see a double-digit lead dwindle to just one point late in the game.

That was exactly the case Wednesday night at J.H. Griffin Gymnasium.

But just when all the momentum seemed completely entrenched on the opponent’s side, the Teutopolis Wooden Shoes came through in the clutch.

They didn’t commit a turnover in the final 90 seconds and made six straight free throws in 31 seconds to secure a 67-58 victory over Mt. Vernon.

The Shoes had built a seemingly comfortable lead in the third quarter. They led by as many as 14 points and were on top, 44-32, entering the final eight minutes. It was still an 11-point cushion, 58-47, with 3:12 left in the contest.

But that’s when Mt. Vernon’s full court pressure and quickness started to cause major problems. After Navontae Nesbit’s two free throws cut the lead to nine, the Rams forced four turnovers and scored after each one. Nesbit had a three-point play and a layup and Equinton Millsap added another basket. In less than two minutes, Mt. Vernon ran off 10 straight points to get within 58-57 at the 1:24 mark.

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Teutopolis had three players reach double figures Saturday, helping the Wooden Shoes post a 56-48 victory over East Peoria.

It was part of the Eureka Shootout.

Joey Niebrugge, who was named Player of the Game, connected on a three-pointer and scored five points in the first eight minutes, as the Shoes built a 17-7 lead. East Peoria trimmed the margin to 23-17 at intermission and was still within six points, 35-29, heading into the final quarter.

Garrett Gaddis knocked down a three and went 4-for-4 from the foul line and the Shoes converted 14-of-16 foul shots in that fourth period to maintain their lead and secure the win down the stretch.

Gaddis finished with a team-high 16 points. Joey Niebrugge scored 13 and Brendan Niebrugge added 10. Caleb Siemer led the team with eight rebounds and four assists and Joey Niebrugge added six boards.

The Shoes improved to 8-1. They will return to action Wednesday night with a home game against Mt. Vernon.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

When teams play scared – especially on offense – good things rarely happen.

Generally, players either bypass good shots, or when they do shoot, fail to do so with confidence.

The Teutopolis Lady Shoes are experiencing both, and against good teams, that gets exposed.

Such was the case Monday night against Paris.

T-Town’s leading scorer Kaylee Niebrugge was bottled up by the Paris defense. Only three other Lady Shoes scored. Several players passed up wide-open shots and the team made less than 25 percent of the shots they took.

As a result, the Lady Tigers remained undefeated on the season and THS suffered its second setback, falling 43-27 at J.H. Griffin Gymnasium.

“We played scared and I’m not happy about it,” Lady Shoes coach Laurie Thompson said. “We missed some shots we should’ve made and didn’t take other shots we should have. It you don’t attack, you’re not going to be successful. We can’t just rely on Kaylee. We need some outside shooters and we need to spread the scoring around.”

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The Teutopolis Lady Shoes jumped out to a quick lead Saturday and were never headed, en route to a 55-45 road victory at Olney.

Kaylee Niebrugge scored 10 points and Courtney Gibson added five more, helping the Lady Shoes build a 20-7 lead after the opening eight minutes. It was 37-18 at halftime and 48-29 after three quarters.

Niebrugge finished with a game-high 26 points and Molly Ruholl knocked down three shots from behind the arc and scored 13.

The Lady Shoes improved to 9-1 on the season. They will return home Monday to face Paris.