Basketball

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

Nobody really knew what to expect.

Who is DePaul College Prep?

And how good are they?

Those questions were answered Thursday afternoon, and in the case of the latter, it was a resounding, “Very Good!”

The Rams used a stifling defense throughout the game and then pulled away in the second half to post a 45-17 win over the Teutopolis Wooden Shoes in the first semifinal game of the Class 2A State Tournament, played at the State Farm Center in Champaign.

The Shoes made just eight total shots. They didn’t make a shot from behind the arc and converted just one free throw. And had point totals of 6-5-6-0 in the four quarters.

“The guys fought all the way,” THS coach Chet Reeder said. “I thought we were timid offensively. We just didn’t attack.

“I thought we had good shots. We didn’t force anything,” Reeder added. “But we missed layups, free throws, threes. Nothing found the bottom of the net. It just wasn’t our game today.”

And the coach added one more thing.

“Plus, DePaul is a really good basketball team.”

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

The Teutopolis Wooden Shoes are heading to the state basketball tournament.

It’s been 16 years since those words have been written.

They have been close, reaching the super sectional round eight times in the past 12 years. For most of the previous seven tries – 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2019 and 2022 -- the Shoes were in tight games to the end.

Unfortunately, a couple possessions, a missed jumper or free throw, a costly turnover or a good play by the opposing team prevented talented T-Town squads from advancing to the IHSA’s version of the “promised land” – the state tournament’s Final Four.

But not 2023.

It wasn’t easy and, at times, certainly not pretty. But when a last-second pass was deflected and the final overtime buzzer sounded, a celebration broke out on the floor of the Banterra Center.

And the scoreboard said it all.

Time remaining – 0:00.

Final score – Teutopolis 42; Pinckneyville 40.

The super sectional jinx had ended. This basketball-crazy school and community could roar once again.

T-Town had claimed the Class 2A Carbondale Super Sectional title.

And the Shoes are going back to state for the first time since 2007.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

With just five minutes off the clock, the game was over.

If it had been a boxing match, it would have been called after the first round.

The Teutopolis Wooden Shoes scored the first 13 points.

Their defense was outstanding and they controlled the boards.

Brendan Niebrugge made all six of his shots and scored 15 points – all in the second quarter – and Caleb Siemer turned in a dominating 20-point, 15-rebound double-double performance.

The combination of all that was way more than Alton Marquette could handle, as the Shoes posted a 54-28 victory Wednesday night in a semifinal game of the Class 2A Newton Sectional.

T-Town will now face Lawrenceville for the sectional championship Friday night. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

If you’re a coach, you couldn’t ask for a better start to a game.

It took nearly two minutes before the first points were scored, but then it quickly turned into a rout.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

“We needed No. 52 back.”

That was one of the comments Teutopolis coach Chet Reeder made Friday night after the game.

But wait a minute.

Who’s No. 52?

There’s nobody on the T-Town roster with that number.

Reeder was referring to Garrett Gaddis, who now wears jersey No. 10.

Confused yet?

To begin with, Gaddis came off the bench to score 23 points and help the Shoes rally from an 11-point, third-quarter deficit to post a 61-54 victory over Lawrenceville in the championship game of the Class 2A Newton Sectional.

Now, the rest of the story.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

Who says 13 is unlucky?

For the 13^th year in a row, the Teutopolis Wooden Shoes were in the regional championship game.

And for the 13^th year in a row, the Wooden Shoes earned another plaque for the school’s trophy case.

That 13^th straight title came Friday night after THS put together two dominant quarters to pull away for a 59-40 victory over Robinson in the final game of the Class 2A Teutopolis Regional.

“It’s hard to understand just how special this is,” T-Town coach Chet Reeder admitted. “Some schools never win one of these. We will always celebrate these games. That plaque and that net really means something. We’re one of just 32 teams in the state to win a regional. We’ll never take that for granted.”

It took about eight minutes for the Shoes to kick into gear Friday night. After jumping out to a 9-1 lead, Robinson went on a 12-6 run to get within 15-13 by the end of the first period.