By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

Many coaches don’t look forward to Homecoming.

With all the special activities normally scheduled during the week, it’s easy for players to get distracted.

Chet Reeder isn’t one of those of those coaches.

“I love Homecoming and the way our students get involved,” the Teutopolis coach said. “But I did remind our guys that there wouldn’t be a Homecoming without the game. Homecoming has always been centered around the football or basketball game. I told them not to lose sight of that. I also told them to stay focused.”

His team listened.

The Wooden Shoes grabbed an early lead and continued to build on it throughout Tuesday, finishing with a lopsided 73-39 victory over Paris on Homecoming Night in T-Town.

“We did some things we’ve been talking about the last couple days in practice,” Reeder noted. “I thought we were better defensively. We took steps in the direction we need to go. I was pleased with how we played. I saw improvements tonight.”

Kaylee Niebrugge continued her strong start to the 2022-23 season by turning in her second double-double.

The Teutopolis senior pumped in 29 points and pulled down 10 rebounds, helping the Lady Shoes post a 48-36 victory Monday night in their home opener.

Niebrugge has cracked the 20-point plateau three times so far and is averaging 19 points a game. Her 12-point first quarter helped THS take 19-13 lead and the hosts maintained the advantage throughout.

The Lady Shoes led 28-22 at halftime and 34-27 after three periods. Niebrugge then scored eight points in the final eight minutes to help T-Town secure the victory.

Emily Konkel and Estella Mette both scored six points and Courtney Gibson added five. Anne Beyers led Pana with 16 points.

T-Town improved to 5-1 on the season. The Lady Shoes will play at home again Thursday night against St. Joe-Ogden.

Kaylee Niebrugge had a big game offensively, leading the Teutopolis Lady Shoes to a 60-57 victory Thursday night at Benton.

Niebrugge pumped in 29 points, helping the Lady Shoes get their fourth win of the season.

T-Town led 13-7 after the first quarter, but the game was tied 28-28 at halftime. Niebrugge scored 14 points in the third period and the Lady Shoes built a 47-40 advantage. Benton was able to cut into that lead down the stretch, but a pair of free throws by Emily Konkel and a three-point play by Niebrugge helped THS stay ahead.

Konkel also reached double figures with 10 points and Courtney Gibson added nine. Niebrugge also had nine rebounds.

T-Town is now 4-1 on the season. The Lady Shoes will play their first home game Monday night, hosting Pana.

Joey Niebrugge scored nine points in the third quarter Saturday, helping the Teutopolis Wooden Shoes rally from a double-digit deficit and go on to post a 56-40 victory at Tolono Unity.

The Shoes were down 24-19 at halftime and trailed by as many as 10 in third period before making the comeback. Joey Niebrugge’s nine points proved to be the spark and James Niebrugge added six more, helping THS rally for a 38-37 lead heading into the final eight minutes.

In the fourth quarter, Caleb Siemer’s eight points helped the Shoes outscore the Rockets 18-3 and secure the win.

Joey Niebrugge finished with a game-high 16 points, while James Niebrugge and Siemer both scored 10.

T-Town improved to 4-1. The Shoes will play their home opener Tuesday night against Paris for Homecoming. They will then travel Friday and play at Bloomington Central Catholic.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

Yes, it was just a November game.

But it had the feel of the postseason in late February.

Two good teams.

Playing high-level basketball.

And the game wasn’t decided until the final 3½ minutes.

The Breese Central Cougars outscored Teutopolis 7-0 down the stretch – and 14-3 in the fourth period – to pull away from a tie game and post a 44-33 decision in the championship game Saturday night of the St. Anthony Thanksgiving Tournament.

The two teams had battled to a 30-30 tie after three quarters. A basket by Mason Shubert, the tournament’s MVP, a three-point play by his talented teammate in the backcourt Cody Dickshot and a jumper by Colton Arnold helped the Cougars build a 37-31 edge at the 3:37 mark.

Caleb Siemer responded with a short jumper in the lane 12 seconds later to narrow the gap to four. Unfortunately, the Wooden Shoes failed to score another point, missing their final four shots and turning the ball over once.

Shubert added a free throw, Dickshot another bucket and Chase Lewis capped his game-changing performance with four straight foul shots in the final 72 seconds to seal the win for Breese Central and allow them to repeat as tournament champs.

“We expected this kind of game,” THS coach Chet Reeder said. “Give credit to Breese Central. They play excellent defense. We challenged them and made it tough on them, too. It was an excellent game between to very good teams.”