By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

The Teutopolis Wooden Shoes have been consistent this year.

Consistently good on defense.

And consistently inconsistent on the offensive end.

While the defensive effort has been outstanding game-in and game-out, the Shoes have struggled more often than not on offense – failing to score more than 35 to 38 points in several games and even held to just 22 in a recent game at Centralia.

It’s no secret. If the Shoes score in the high 40s or low 50s – with the kind of defense they play – they are a tough team to beat.

Friday night’s game with cross-creek rival St. Anthony was a perfect example.

T-Town fell behind early – thanks to 1-of-10 shooting to start the game – but then found their shooting touch. THS shot nearly 60 percent over the final three quarters, got a clutch three-pointer from Brendan Niebrugge late and that defense held the Bulldogs scoreless the final three minutes.

When the final buzzer sounded, the Shoes walked off the court at The Enlow Center with a 51-40 victory.

“This group knows that defense is their ticket,” THS coach Chet Reeder said. “We have to make the other team work hard on offense; go quicker than they want. I thought our guys played outstanding defense tonight.”

After back-to-back threes by Brendan Niebrugge and Dylan Pruemer, it appeared the Shoes were going to pull away from St. Anthony. Those buckets gave T-Town a nine-point lead, 41-32, with 5:41 to play.

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Sometimes, sports results are hard to figure out.

For example, earlier in the season, Breese Mater Dei defeated its cross-town rival Breese Central, 47-44. Just a couple days ago, Breese Central handled Teutopolis rather easily, 63-34.

So based on those scores, Breese Mater Dei should have had no trouble taking care of the Lady Shoes Monday night.

Right?

As the old saying goes, “that’s why you play the games.”

T-Town made its second trip to Breese in a little over 48 hours. The ride home this time was much more pleasant.

The Lady Shoes overcame a sluggish start and then used a strong fourth quarter to come away with a 37-34 victory over the Lady Knights.

Mater Dei jumped out to an 11-4 lead after the first eight minutes, but THS then went on a 13-6 run to tie the game at halftime, 17-17. The host Lady Knights had a slim 26-23 edge after three quarter, but the Lady Shoes outscored the hosts 14-8 to come away with the win.

Teutopolis didn’t have a player in double figures, but featured a balanced scoring attack. Kaylee Niebrugge and Courtney Gibson both had eight points, while Kaitlyn Schumacher and Emily Konkel both added six. Schumacher also pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds and Niebrugge had four steals. T-Town also forced 15 turnovers.

The Lady Shoes improved to 17-7 overall. They will return to action Friday with a game at Bloomington Central Catholic.

It’s safe to say that the Teutopolis and Newton basketball teams are evenly-matched.

The two squads have now faced each other twice and split the two contests.

The Eagles posted a 58-55 win over T-Town in the Effingham-Teutopolis Christmas Classic.

The Wooden Shoes win came Tuesday night.

After a sluggish first half, Teutopolis rallied for a 38-34 win at Newton.

The Shoes scored just two points in the opening quarter and trailed 16-11 at halftime. But in the third quarter, Brendan Niebrugge knocked down three shots from behind the arc and Caleb Siemer hit three short jumpers, helping THS go on a 16-10 run and take a 27-26 advantage into the final eight minutes.

Brendan Niebrugge connected on another three and scored five points and Joey Ruholl added a big three-pointer, as the Shoes outscored the hosts 11-8 to come away with the tough four-point win.

Evan Schafer scored all eight of Newton’s points in the final period and finished with 12 points.

Brendan Niebrugge and Siemer combined to score 28 of T-Town’s points. Niebrugge had 16 and Siemer 12.

The Shoes improved to 17-7 with the win. They will return to action Friday – weather permitting – at St. Anthony and are then scheduled to return home to face Robinson on Saturday.

Max Niebrugge scored 19 points and Garrett Gaddis came off the bench to add 14 more Saturday night, helping the Teutopolis Wooden Shoes pick up a 54-51 victory at Taylorville.

The Shoes trailed early, but Gaddis, just a sophomore, came in and knocked down four three-pointers in the second quarter, helping T-Town take a 24-20 lead at halftime.

Taylorville’s Bryce Friedrich then scored eight of his game-high 20 points in the third quarter, as the Tornadoes came back to tie the game, 38-38, heading into the final eight minutes.

Max Niebrugge drilled a three, Caleb Siemer turned in a three-point play and the Shoes made 9-of-14 free throws in the fourth quarter to secure the road victory.

THS had just five two-point field goals in the contest, but made 11 shots from behind the arc. Max Niebrugge had five of those, while Gaddis made four and Brendan Niebrugge and James Niebrugge each had one. Max Niebrugge also had five assists and Siemer pulled down five rebounds.

The Shoes improved to 16-7 with the win. They will return to action Tuesday with a game at Newton.