By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

Many teams experience the greatest amount of improvement between the first two games of the season.

Such was the case Tuesday night.

The Teutopolis Wooden Shoes showed improvement in every phase of the game and the result was a 62-51 win over Breese Central on the second night of the St. Anthony Thanksgiving Tournament.

“We improved in every aspect,” said THS coach Chet Reeder. “We especially took a step forward defensively. We applied more ball pressure, we rotated better and we trusted each other as a group. We needed to take that next step defensively and the boys did a good job.”

Breese Central held a slim 4-3 lead just two minutes into the game. But Matthew Deters grabbed a rebound and scored to put the Shoes on top to stay. Jordan Hardiek followed with a short jumper and then a 3-pointer. By the end of the first quarter, T-Town led 15-9.

After Jack Poelker and Matthew Deters scored back-to-back after grabbing offensive rebounds, the Shoes had their first double-digit advantage, 24-13, at the 4:40 mark of the second period. Twice, Breese Central got within nine, but two more baskets by Matthew Deters to close out the first half sent the Shoes to the locker room with a 33-20 edge.

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By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

For 24 minutes Monday night, it was a typical season-opening game.

There were too many turnovers and missed free throws; and too many breakdowns on offense and defense.

But for one eight-minute stretch, the Teutopolis Wooden Shoes looked like they were in mid-season form.

And that was the difference.

T-Town used a strong third quarter performance to rally from a halftime deficit and spark a 62-54 victory over Robinson in the first game of the St. Anthony Thanksgiving Tournament, played at the Enlow Center.

The Shoes trailed 30-25 at halftime, but a 3-pointer by Jordan Hardiek started a 22-8 run that put THS on top to stay.

Seven different players got into the scoring column for THS during that third period. A free throw and 3-pointer by Luke Ungrund put the Shoes on top, 36-32. Evan Addis connected from long range and Matthew Deters scored the final six points of the quarter, giving Teutopolis a 47-38 advantage heading into the final eight minutes.

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Despite playing a bit shorthanded, the Teutopolis Lady Shoes had no trouble posting a 48-11 victory Tuesday night at St. Thomas More in Champaign.

T-Town built a 16-6 lead after eight minutes and then held the Lady Sabers scoreless in the second period, expanding the gap to 29-6 at intermission.

The Lady Shoes played without Claire Bushur, Lexie Niebrugge and Hope Bueker, who are all injured. But they had no trouble improving to 4-1 on the season.

Olivia Niemerg led the scoring attack with 21 points, while Ciara Roepke added 12. Karsyn Mette had eight rebounds and the Lady Shoes defense forced 30 turnovers.

Teutopolis will play Centralia at 1:30 p.m. Saturday in Salem. It will be their final game in the Lady Wildcat Thanksgiving Tournament.

Coach Laurie Thompson was expecting two tough games against Highland and Carterville and that’s what she and the Teutopolis Lady Shoes got.

The T-Town girls faced both teams Saturday and split the two games as part of the 19th annual Lady Wildcat Thanksgiving Tournament in Salem.

The Lady Shoes posted a 40-36 win over Highland in the first game Saturday, but dropped a 44-40 decision to Carterville in the last game of the day.

Both games were close.

Against Highland, THS led at every stop – 12-9 after the first period; 23-18 at halftime; and 31-27 after three quarters. Olivia Niemerg and Kaitlyn Schumacher combined to hit 6-of-8 free throws in the final eight minutes to help the Lady Shoes maintain their lead.

Niemerg paced T-Town with 16 points, while Schumacher scored eight and Karsyn Mette added seven. Schumacher led the team with 10 rebounds, while Mette pulled down nine.

The Lady Shoes held a 14-11 lead after eight minutes against Carterville, but trailed 21-20 at halftime and 33-26 heading into the final period. Ciara Roepke pumped in nine points in the fourth quarter to help Teutopolis stay within striking distance.

Roepke finished with a team-high 15 points, while Niemerg added 11, with 10 of those coming in the opening period. Schumacher had seven rebounds.

The Lady Shoes, now 3-1 on the season, will play Tuesday at St. Thomas Moore in Champaign. They will play their final game at the Salem tournament at 1:30 p.m. Saturday against Centralia.