For the second day in a row, the Teutopolis Lady Shoes withstood a fourth-quarter rally.

T-Town saw a 17-point advantage reduced to six against Effingham the night before and saw another double-digit lead evaporate Wednesday night before securing a 42-40 victory over Tri-County.

That win gave the Lady Shoes a perfect 5-0 record and clinched the championship of the Charleston Holiday Tournament.

The two teams were tied 6-6 after the opening eight minutes, but THS then went on a 16-5 scoring surge to open a 22-11 lead at intermission. Emily Konkel and Kaylee Niebrugge both scored five points in that second period. Niebrugge scored nine more points in the third quarter and the Lady Shoes increased the margin to 37-25.

But the Lady Titans came roaring back in the final eight minutes. They outscored the Lady Shoes 15-5, but still came up two points short.

Niebrugge led all scorers with 19 points, while Konkel finished with a double-double – 14 points and 10 rebounds. Josie Armstrong scored 18 points for Tri-County.

Earlier in the day, the Lady Shoes cruised past Danville 64-14. Teutopolis led 23-6 after the first quarter and 38-12 at halftime.

Konkel led the way with 19 points and Niebrugge added 14.

The Lady Shoes, who improved to 13-2 on the season, will return to action on Thursday, Jan. 5, with a game at Mattoon. They will then play at Freeburg on January 7.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

The offense is new.

But that defense is a constant.

The Teutopolis Lady Shoes used a stifling defense for 3½ quarters to build a seemingly comfortable lead and then withstood a late rally to post a 42-36 victory Tuesday afternoon over the Effingham Lady Hearts in a game that could determine the championship of the Charleston Holiday Tournament.

T-Town is now 3-0 in tourney play, while EHS dipped to 2-1.

For nearly 28 minutes, the Lady Shoes switching man-to-man defense dominated the game. The Lady Hearts had difficulty getting good shots and then made only a few of the ones they did get. As a result, THS was able to grab an early lead and continued to build on it.

Bria Beals scored 90 seconds into the contest to give Effingham its only lead of the game, 2-0. But the Lady Hearts then missed their next 16 shots and went almost 11 minutes before scoring again. In the meantime, Teutopolis ran off 17 unanswered points to build a 17-2 lead at the 4:37 mark of the second quarter.

Alyssa Martin broke the drought with a short jumper with 3:42 left in the first half. Martin and Madison Mapes both scored in the final two minutes, but Chloe Probst turned an EHS turnover into a layup and Summer Wall added a basket, helping the Lady Shoes take a 13-point lead, 21-8, into the locker room at intermission.

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Nine players were chosen for the Charleston Holiday All-Tournament Team.

There were three players selected from three teams – Teutopolis, Effingham and Tri-County.

Making the team were Kaylee Niebrugge, Emily Konkel and Courtney Gibson from Teutopolis; Madison Mapes, Saige Althoff and Bria Beals from Effingham; and Thaylee Barry, Josie Armstrong and Kenzie Hales from Tri-County.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

The Teutopolis Lady Shoes had no trouble posting a pair of wins on the opening day of the Charleston Holiday Tournament.

T-Town beat Charleston 79-10 and then came back with a 70-30 victory over Danville on Monday.

“We got to work on a new offense we’re putting in,” THS coach Laurie Thompson said. “We’re trying to get more ball movement, find gaps, work on our jump shots and show patience. That was good for us.”

In the opener against Charleston, Kaylee Niebrugge scored 13 points in the first quarter, helping the Lady Shoes build a 21-2 lead. At halftime, it was a 44-2 contest.

Niebrugge finished with 19 points, while Emily Konkel scored 14 and Chloe Probst added 10.

The Danville game wasn’t much different. Niebrugge and Konkel combined to score 20 first-quarter points, as THS jumped out to a 24-8 lead. By intermission, it 43-12.

Niebrugge finished with a game-high 26 points, while Konkel had 13 and Probst 10.

“Everybody got to play and just about everybody scored,” Thompson noted. “In game like these, you just try to find something to work on.”

The Lady Shoes, who improved to 11-2 on the season, will be back in action today (Tuesday). They will face Effingham at 4:30. If will probably be the championship game of the tournament. Both teams are 2-0 after the first day.

“It should be a good match-up,” Thompson said. “I thought Effingham looked really good against Tri-County. They pushed the ball well and have a lot of tools offensively. Their kids play hard and are smart players. We’re going to have to be able to guard. It should be a real good game.”

Teutopolis will complete tournament play with two games on Wednesday – 1:30 p.m. against Jacksonville; and 6 p.m. against Tri-County.