Basketball

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

The offensive end of the floor has been a major challenge virtually the entire season for the Teutopolis Lady Shoes.

Getting good shots was not the issue. Making those shots, however, was.

That was the case again Tuesday night and, unfortunately, it resulted in a season-ending performance.

The Lady Shoes defensive effort held a very good Paris team to less than 40 points, but the inability to make shots didn’t allow them to take advantage of that.

T-Town fought back from a nine-point deficit to tie the game in the fourth quarter, but didn’t make a shot in the final 2½ minutes.

When the final buzzer sounded, Paris had posted a 39-33 victory in a semifinal game of the Class 2A Monticello Sectional.

“They know us and we know them,” THS coach Laurie Thompson said. “We both knew what each other was going to try to do. It came down to who could make the most plays at the crucial times. We got some stops, but we just couldn’t connect on our shots.”

With 4:41 to play in the third period, Paris had just got back-to-back buckets by Kaitlyn Coombes to take its largest lead of the game, 29-20. But just when it felt like the Lady Tigers were poised to take total control, the Lady Shoes refused to allow that to happen.

Zoe Cremens and Izzy Hardiek connected on three-pointers on consecutive trips down the floor. Neither team scored in the final 3:27 of the quarter, but those two shots got THS within 29-26 and sparked an 11-2 run.

The Teutopolis Lady Shoes took their first step toward a 12^th straight regional title Monday night by posting a lopsided 60-15 decision over Salem in a semifinal game of the Class 2A Salem Regional.

The Lady Shoes will face Robinson in the regional championship at 7 p.m. Thursday in Salem. Robinson defeated Flora 54-49 in overtime Monday.

T-Town removed all doubt quickly against the Lady Wildcats. Emily Konkel knocked down a three and scored five points, while Kaylee Niebrugge added four more, helping THS race to a 16-3 lead after the opening eight minutes.

The Lady Shoes then went on a 21-5 run to expand the margin to 29 points – 37-8 – at intermission. Zoe Cremens had a three and scored eight points in the second period and Niebrugge added five.

For the second straight game, Cremens led T-Town in scoring, finishing with 13 points. Izzy Hardiek turned in a double-double performance, scoring 11 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. The Lady Shoes shot 39 percent overall, going 22-of-57 from the floor. They were 5-for-14 from three-point range and 11-for-15 from the foul line. They forced 18 turnovers.

The Lady Shoes improved to 20-7 overall. The winner of Thursday’s regional championship will advance to the Monticello Sectional, which will begin Tuesday, Feb. 22.

For the second time in three days, the Teutopolis Wooden Shoes took it to an opponent early, built a big lead and then rolled to a win.

On Saturday, the Shoes used an 18-0 first-half run to build a 28-point halftime advantage and then coasted to a 55-20 decision over Paxton-Buckley-Loda in the Wooden Shoes Shootout.

It was a similar outcome Tuesday on Senior Night at J.H. Griffin Gymnasium.

T-Town held a slim lead after the first eight minutes, then went on a 26-11 scoring run to open a 19-point cushion at intermission, en route to a 68-39 verdict over Mattoon.

The Shoes led 15-11 after the first period, but then took total control in the second quarter, taking a 41-22 edge into the locker room at halftime. The Green Wave was within 17 after three periods, but THS then outscored them 18-6 in the final eight minutes to notch their 22^nd win of the season.

The Shoes had three players in double figures. Caleb Siemer led the way with 15 points and almost had a double-double, finishing with 9 rebounds. Dylan Pruemer scored 12 and Brendan Niebrugge added 11.

T-Town improved to 22-7 with the win. They will close out their regular season with a game Thursday at Woodlawn.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

When a coach says his team just played its best game of the year, that is generally not good news for the opponent.

That was certainly the case Saturday evening.

The Teutopolis Wooden Shoes put on a defensive clinic, made over half of their shots and carried out the game plan to near perfection.

The only real question over the final three quarters was whether Paxton-Buckley-Loda would reach 20 points.

The Panthers finally reached that plateau, but there was only one minute left in the game.

By that time, the outcome had long been determined as the Shoes finished with a lopsided 55-20 win in the final game of the 9^th annual Wooden Shoes Shootout.

“We knew they thrived on extra possessions from creating turnovers or getting offensive rebounds,” THS coach Chet Reeder explained. “We took care of the ball and gave them zero second chance opportunities. From start to finish, this was the best game we’ve played so far.”

From the outset, it was clear that T-Town was the best team on the floor. Even though the margin after the opening eight minutes was just eight points, 13-5, nobody in J.H. Griffin Gymnasium expected it to get any tighter.

And they were right.