The Teutopolis Junior High 8th grade boys split their two games at the IESA Class 8-3A State Tournament Saturday and will now play for third place.

The Wooden Shoes, now 24-4 on the season, will face Monticello at 6 p.m. Thursday at Tolono Unity Junior High School.

TJHS opened state tourney play with a 35-16 victory over Lansing Heritage. The Shoes led all the way. They were up 16-9 at halftime, but then outscored Lansing 19-7 in the second half to advance to the semifinal round.

Mitch Koester had 10 points and Evan Waldhoff added eight.

In the semifinal game, the Shoes held a 13-8 halftime lead, but South Holland McKinley outscored them 23-14 in the second half to emerge with a 31-27 victory.

Eli Hanson and Koester both scored seven points.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

With about five minutes to play Thursday night, Pana not only owned a three-point lead, it definitely had momentum on its side.

Teutopolis had struggled to score at times during the game and its regional winning streak was clearly in jeopardy.

As it turned out, the Lady Shoes just needed a little “hope.”

As in Hope Bueker, that is.

With a trip to the sectional on the line, T-Town’s junior came through with flying colors. In a two-minute stretch, Bueker scored back-to-back buckets and then added a third, sparking a 12-0 run that rallied the Lady Shoes to a 49-41 victory over Pana in the championship game of the Newton Class 2A Regional.

“Hope came to play and you saw exactly what she can do,” a happy THS coach Laurie Thompson said moments after her team’s win. “She was aggressive and took the ball to the basket.

“It was exactly what we needed,” Thompson added. “She was the turning point tonight. Hope should be proud of how she played.”

The Lady Shoes, who defeated the Lady Panthers by five points in December, found themselves trailing in the fourth period. Pana sophomore Jillian Hamilton had a three-point play and then connected on a 3-pointer to close out the third period and get the Lady Panthers to within one point, 34-33.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

Being aggressive on offensive, getting the ball inside and defending three-point shooters.

That was game plan Tuesday night for the Teutopolis Lady Shoes.

“The girls did what they were asked to do,” said THS coach Laurie Thompson.

The result was a lopsided 45-15 victory over Lawrenceville in a semifinal game of the Newton Class 2A Regional.

The Lady Shoes will now face Pana for the regional championship at 7 p.m. Friday.

T-Town never trailed and took control early. Karsyn Mette scored four points and Lexie Niebrugge made a 3 pointer to stake the team a 7-0 lead. After the Lady Indians got a free throw, Ciara Roepke connected on a three, Hope Bueker scored inside and Niebrugge added a foul shot to increase the THS lead to 13-1 and the rout was on.

Olivia Niemerg hit a short jumper and added a 3-pointer, helping the Lady Shoes score the first nine points of the second quarter. Teutopolis outscored Lawrenceville 17-1 overall during the period to take a commanding 32-7 advantage into the locker room at intermission.

The Teutopolis Junior High eighth grade boys are headed to the state tournament.

The Wooden Shoes used a 17-2 run in the second quarter to pull ahead, en route to a 47-17 victory Wednesday night over Shelbyville Mouton in the championship game of the Teutopolis Class 8-3A Sectional.

The Shoes led 9-6 after the first quarter and then expanded it to 26-8 at halftime. It was 35-12 heading into the final period.

Eli Hanson scored 15 points and Joey Niebrugge added 13.

The IESA State Tournament will be played at Tolono Unity Junior High School. Quarterfinal and semifinal games are scheduled for Thursday.

TJHS, now 23-3 on the season, will face Lansing Heritage (18-3) at 11:30 a.m. The winner will then play in the semifinals against either Washington Central or South Holland McKinley at 5 p.m.

The third place and championship contests will take Saturday, Feb. 20.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

Teutopolis made a terrific comeback in the game’s final seven minutes, but fell just short, dropping a 44-40 decision at home Tuesday night to a very good Casey-Westfield squad.

With 6:59 to play, the Warriors held a seemingly comfortable 37-26 advantage.

But Evan Wermert’s two free throws started a comeback. Wermert knocked down a pair of 3-pointers, plus added two more baskets to go along with a bucket from Brock Deters. That 14-6 scoring surge trimmed the lead to 43-40 with 59 seconds to play.

When Casey-Westfield’s Jackson Hills missed the front end of a bonus with 47 seconds to go, the Shoes had a chance to tie. They ran the clock down and got a good look for Jordan Hardiek from the corner. The shot looked to be on-line, but barely missed.

“The boys executed the play well,” THS coach Chet Reeder said. “We had a great shot to tie it. Sometimes, you just don’t make it; the ball doesn’t go in.”

Colin Branson made one foul shot with 1.8 seconds showing to secure the victory for the Warriors and improve them to 19-6 on the season.

  1. Teutopolis Shootout will feature intriguing match-ups; five games scheduled
  2. Shoes post victory at home over Robinson
  3. Lady Shoes close regular season with win over BCC
  4. TJHS 8th grade boys capture regional title