By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

Turning defense into offense.

That’s not a new concept in basketball.

But it was on full display Thursday night at J.H. Griffin Gymnasium.

The Teutopolis Lady Shoes used their three-quarter-court trapping defense to force 26 turnovers. They converted several of those into points and turned what many thought would be a close game into a comfortable 56-32 win over Mattoon.

“Our defense was the key tonight,” said THS coach Laurie Thompson. “We were able to speed them up and not let them get into their halfcourt sets. We got into the passing lanes and forced some long passes. They threw several of those out-of-bounds. We’re still learning this defense, but we’re getting better at it.”

It really started to take effect in the second quarter.

The Lady Green Wave got two three-pointers from Ella Conyers and had a slim 12-10 lead after the opening eight minutes. But T-Town started to take control after that.

Nearly two minutes into the second quarter, the game was tied 14-14. But over the final 6:09 of the first half, Mattoon turned the ball over seven times and missed its final four shots.

Mollie Ruholl started the decisive run with a free throw. Summer Wall converted a turnover into a layup, Chloe Probst scored four straight points, Kelcey Niemerg hit a short jumper and Chloe Probst turned yet another Lady Green Wave miscue into a bucket, completing the 11-0 scoring spree and sending the Lady Shoes to the locker room with a 25-14 halftime lead.

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By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

It was four minutes of textbook basketball.

Whether it was defending and creating turnovers or running its offense and knocking down shots, the Teutopolis Wooden Shoes put on a clinic in the second quarter.

The Shoes created seven turnovers during that span, knocked down five straight shots from behind the arc and turned a slim three-point lead into an 18-point cushion.

That was the spark that helped T-Town post a 56-46 victory over Oak Lawn Saturday afternoon and claim seventh place in the 10^th annual Effingham-Teutopolis Christmas Classic.

“We played really well in that second quarter,” THS coach Chet Reeder said. “I thought we were physical, we rebounded well and that our overall communication on defense was very good. On offense, we made them play defense a little longer than they wanted to. We moved the ball tremendously, which was another key for us today, plus we got good shots and we made them.”

After Oak Lawn’s Ali Farham scored to open the second period, the Shoes owned a 12-9 advantage. But that margin quickly started to expand, beginning with a three-pointer by Garrett Gaddis at the 6:16 mark. Gaddis then hit two more from long range, and Logan Lawson and Mitch Koester each drilled a three and the lead ballooned to 14 points.

Alex Kremer and Tyler Pruemer then converted Oak Lawn turnovers into baskets to complete the 19-4 scoring run and expand the THS lead to 31-13 with 1:57 to play in the first half.

The Spartans got back-to-back threes from Farham and Donte Montgomery to trim the gap to 31-19 at intermission.

The third quarter couldn’t have started better for the Shoes. Tyler Pruemer hit a short jumper, Kremer knocked down a three and Joey Niebrugge made a pair of foul shots to expand the lead back to 19 points, 38-19. It was still a 19-point bulge, 45-26, heading into the final eight minutes of play.

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After a bit of a slow start, the Teutopolis Wooden Shoes kicked it into gear Tuesday night and rolled to a 57-44 win at home over Monticello.

The Sages jumped out to a 15-11 lead after the first period, but the Shoes responded by outscoring them 32-19 over the middle two quarters to seize control of the game. T-Town then outscored Monticello 14-10 in the final eight minutes to secure the victory.

Garrett Gaddis and Logan Lawson were both in double figures for THS. Gaddis finished with 18 points and Lawson, who knocked down four three-pointers, added 12. Tyler Pruemer grabbed 11 rebounds.

The Shoes are now 10-5 on the season. They will return to action Saturday with a game at Warrensburg.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

The Teutopolis Wooden Shoes staged a terrific comeback in the final 3½ minutes of regulation to force a tie.

But the Dixon Dukes were able to make just a couple more plays in the extra sessions and came away with a 67-65 victory in triple overtime in one of the most exciting games so far in the Effingham-Teutopolis Christmas Classic.

“This is a resilient group that will never stop fighting,” THS coach Chet Reeder said. “That’s one of the reasons I love this group so much. They never quit, no matter what.”

With 3:21 to play in regulation, the Dukes owned a 47-38 advantage and had the basketball. But T-Town’s pressure defense forced Dixon into four turnovers down the stretch and the Shoes took advantage.

Garrett Gaddis converted one of those turnovers into a three-point play that sparked a 13-4 run. Joey Niebrugge had three points during the comeback, but Gaddis did the bulk of the scoring. He hit a short jumper and a three-pointer to get THS within just one point, 50-49, with 33 seconds to go.

After Dixon’s Austin Hicks made a free with 16 ticks still left, it was a two-point game. Reeder called a timeout and set up a final play.

“We gave Garrett options,” the veteran coach explained. “If he got a good outside shot, that was fine, or he could attack the rim.”

Gaddis did the latter and scored with just two seconds to play to knot the game at 51-51 and force overtime.

Both teams had opportunities to win in each of the three extra sessions.

Alex Kremer and Joey Niebrugge both scored to give Teutopolis a quick 55-51 edge in the first overtime. But a three-pointer by Cullen Shaner and a pair of free throws by Darius Harrington helped the Dukes come back to tie the game at 58-58 and force a second extra session.

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