By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

One team shot 60 percent; the other 34.

One team grabbed 28 rebounds; the other 13.

One team had scoring runs of 10 and 11 straight points; the other’s biggest run was just four points.

In each case, it was the same team dominating virtually every phase of the game.

And on Tuesday night, that team was Teutopolis.

The Wooden Shoes scored the first five points of the game and were never headed, finishing with a convincing 66-38 win at home over Effingham.

“Overall, I was very pleased,” THS coach Chet Reeder said. “I thought we played with toughness and had different guys stepping up for us. This team is tough and resilient. I love this group. They can be a special group.”

The game was never really in doubt after the opening eight minutes. Brendan Niebrugge knocked down a pair of shots from behind the arc and Caleb Bloemer added another, helping the hosts build a double-digit lead in six minutes. At the end of the first quarter, it was 23-13 edge.

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Caleb Siemer, Brendan Niebrugge and James Niebrugge combined for 53 points Friday night, helping the Teutopolis Wooden Shoes post an impressive 73-60 road victory at Bloomington Central Catholic.

The Shoes held a slim 14-11 lead after the first period, but then went on a 22-13 scoring spree to open a double-digit lead. James Niebrugge scored eight points and Brendan Niebrugge knocked down a pair of threes, as THS built a 36-24 advantage at intermission.

Siemer scored seven points in the third period and T-Town maintained its double-digit advantage, 52-39. The Shoes then converted 14-of-19 free throws in the final eight minutes to secure the victory.

Siemer and Brendan Niebrugge both tallied 18 points and James Niebrugge added 17.

Bloomington Central Catholic standout Cole Certa led all scorers with 25 points.

T-Town improved to 6-1 on the season. The Shoes will return home and host Effingham on Tuesday night.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

It wasn’t pretty.

The two teams combined to miss 58 shots and turn the ball over 44 times.

But when it was over, the Teutopolis Lady Shoes managed to keep their perfect mark against St. Anthony intact, improving to 29-0 since the two schools started playing each other.

The Lady Shoes jumped out to a quick lead, built a seemingly comfortable margin and then withstood a second half rally to post a 46-37 victory Monday night over the Lady Bulldogs at the Enlow Center.

“I give St. Anthony a lot of credit,” THS coach Laurie Thompson said. “They didn’t lay down. They kept fighting to get back in the game. Quite frankly, they outplayed us in the second half. And had they taken advantage of a couple more opportunities, it may have the changed the outcome of this game.”

Just 75 seconds into the second half, T-Town was in total control, leading 27-9. With two minutes to play in the third quarter, it was still a 16-point advantage, 35-19.

But as the turnovers continued to mount, that lead began to dwindle. A free throw by Stacie Vonderheide started an 8-0 run for SAHS. Addi Nuxoll scored after grabbing a rebound, Vonderheide turned a turnover into a bucket and Nancy Ruholl made a foul shot to close out the quarter.

When Ruholl hit a jumper to open the final period, the Lady Bulldogs were within 35-27.

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By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

Will Thursday night prove to be a game that turns things around for the Teutopolis Lady Shoes?

Even though they’ve dropped just one game so far, head coach Laurie Thompson admitted her team hasn’t played very well.

Shooting? So far this year, THS has been languishing in the 20-25 percent range, which is not good. Thursday night, they shot nearly 50 percent.

Rebounding has been an issue. Thursday night, the T-Town girls held a substantial 27-14 edge on the boards.

And defense has been spotty at best. Thursday night, the Lady Shoes held their opponent to just 28 points.

There were definite signs of improvement as the Lady Shoes posted a convincing 52-28 win at home over St. Joe-Ogden.

“We finally started attacking the basket and finished some shots,” Thompson noted. “We also talked more on defense, which is always good to see. And we cut down on our turnovers and did a better job rebounding. We were better tonight.”

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