By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

At 2:45 Saturday afternoon, there were five schools in Illinois that could boast of having a boys basketball program that had won 2,000 or more games.

About 90 minutes later, an update was necessary.

Even though the outcome had been determined during a second-quarter scoring flurry, it didn’t become official until the final seconds ticked off the clock.

But when the scoreboard read 0:00 and the horn sounded, the rich tradition that is Teutopolis Wooden Shoes basketball had reached yet another coveted plateau.

Now, when the list of programs with 2,000 or more victories is read, Teutopolis will be mentioned along with Centralia, Collinsville, Quincy, Pinckneyville and Mt. Vernon.

“We’re one of six schools to accomplish this and I think we did it eight years quicker than anyone else,” said Chet Reeder, who is in his seventh season as head coach of the Wooden Shoes and has contributed – as of Saturday – 162 wins to that total.

Centralia is No. 1 on the list with nearly 2,400 wins, but the Orphans began playing 18 years before T-Town’s first basketball squad took the court in 1924.

What a minute! How did the game turn out, you ask?

The Shoes dominated and rolled to an 87-55 win with the continuously running clock engaged the entire fourth quarter.

T-Town got off to a bit of a sluggish start, which is understandable. Less than 19 hours earlier, the Shoes were involved in a tough, hard-fought victory over their long-time rival, St. Anthony. The guys had to be a little tired, plus coming in to face a two-win Robinson squad, there’s no way the team was going to be as “pumped” as it was the night before.

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The Teutopolis Lady Shoes grabbed an early lead and never gave it up Friday night, en route to a 59-46 victory over Bloomington Central Catholic.

It was the annual meeting of the two schools, with the game played at Parkland College in Champaign.

Chloe Probst and Malea Helmink combined to score 14 first-quarter points, helping the Lady Shoes take a 19-13 lead after the opening eight minutes. By halftime, it was a double-digit margin, 33-21. Heading into the fourth period, T-Town carried a 47-33 advantage.

Chloe Probst scored a game-high 24 points, with 17 of those coming in the first half. Kelsey Niemerg was also in double figures, finishing with 13 points that included 9-of-10 from the free throw line. Malea Helmink had a strong game, as well, with nine points and eight rebounds.

The Lady Shoes are now 22-8. They will play Monday at Neoga.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

The Teutopolis Wooden Shoes are on the brink of reaching a coveted milestone.

They are just one win away from making it 2,000 wins since the boys’ basketball program began in 1924.

T-Town notched its 1,999^th ‘W’ Friday night before a large crowd at J.H. Griffin Gymnasium.

Combining a tenacious defense and strong rebounding effort, the Shoes grabbed the lead for good a little over two minutes into the game and never trailed again.

Their lead was challenged numerous times, but they always responded.

And when the final horn sounded, the Shoes had a 54-39 victory over St. Anthony, snapping a 20-game winning streak for the state’s No. 2-ranked Class 1A team.

Today (Saturday), Teutopolis will seek to become the state’s sixth school to register 2,000 wins when they travel to Robinson.

“I got to experience the program’s 100^th year last year. Now we’re so close to this milestone” said THS coach Chet Reeder, who is in his seventh year and has guided the Shoes to 262 of those wins. “People around here live and die with this team. This is very special.”

And for 27 minutes, it looked like this game might come down to the wire and be considered a “special one” between these two long-time rivals.

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Chloe Probst and Kelsey Niemerg both scored 18 points Thursday night, helping the Teutopolis Lady Shoes post a 61-31 road victory at Altamont.

And for Probst, she reached a scoring milestone during the game. Needing 14 points to reach the 1,000-point plateau, she accomplished that with a basket in the third period.

The Shoes held a slim 11-8 lead after the opening eight minutes, but then began to wide the gap. Niemerg scored 16 of her points in the middle two quarters, while Probst had nine. That helped T-Town widen the gap to 48-30 heading into the final period.

Kaylee Lurkins scored 12 points for the Lady Indians, who dipped to 12-16 for the season.

The Lady Shoes are now 21-8. They will return to action tonight (Friday) with their annual game against Bloomington Central Catholic. It will be played at Parkland College in Champaign.