By Steve Raymond
ET Sports Report
It was a quick turnaround with virtually no scouting report.
It was like playing in a holiday tournament or summer league.
No preparation.
Just move on to the next game.
That’s the situation the Teutopolis Wooden Shoes faced Thursday night.
So, Chet Reeder’s pre-game message was pretty short and concise.
“I just told them, ‘There’s no tomorrow. Just put it on the line and leave it all on the floor.’”
Talk about following a game plan.
For the next 32 minutes, the team in white was diving on the floor for every loose ball, challenging every shot, battling for every rebound and attacking on offense with every possession.
In other words, they played Wooden Shoes basketball.
And when it was over, the team – and the five seniors – walked off the court at the State Farm Center as winners.
Along with the third place trophy.
T-Town earned that with a 52-43 victory over Taylor Ridge (Rockridge) in the third place game of the Class 2A State Tournament in Champaign.
By Steve Raymond
ET Sports Report
Nobody really knew what to expect.
Who is DePaul College Prep?
And how good are they?
Those questions were answered Thursday afternoon, and in the case of the latter, it was a resounding, “Very Good!”
The Rams used a stifling defense throughout the game and then pulled away in the second half to post a 45-17 win over the Teutopolis Wooden Shoes in the first semifinal game of the Class 2A State Tournament, played at the State Farm Center in Champaign.
The Shoes made just eight total shots. They didn’t make a shot from behind the arc and converted just one free throw. And had point totals of 6-5-6-0 in the four quarters.
“The guys fought all the way,” THS coach Chet Reeder said. “I thought we were timid offensively. We just didn’t attack.
“I thought we had good shots. We didn’t force anything,” Reeder added. “But we missed layups, free throws, threes. Nothing found the bottom of the net. It just wasn’t our game today.”
And the coach added one more thing.
“Plus, DePaul is a really good basketball team.”
By Steve Raymond
ET Sports Report
“We needed No. 52 back.”
That was one of the comments Teutopolis coach Chet Reeder made Friday night after the game.
But wait a minute.
Who’s No. 52?
There’s nobody on the T-Town roster with that number.
Reeder was referring to Garrett Gaddis, who now wears jersey No. 10.
Confused yet?
To begin with, Gaddis came off the bench to score 23 points and help the Shoes rally from an 11-point, third-quarter deficit to post a 61-54 victory over Lawrenceville in the championship game of the Class 2A Newton Sectional.
Now, the rest of the story.
By Steve Raymond
ET Sports Report
The Teutopolis Wooden Shoes are heading to the state basketball tournament.
It’s been 16 years since those words have been written.
They have been close, reaching the super sectional round eight times in the past 12 years. For most of the previous seven tries – 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2019 and 2022 -- the Shoes were in tight games to the end.
Unfortunately, a couple possessions, a missed jumper or free throw, a costly turnover or a good play by the opposing team prevented talented T-Town squads from advancing to the IHSA’s version of the “promised land” – the state tournament’s Final Four.
But not 2023.
It wasn’t easy and, at times, certainly not pretty. But when a last-second pass was deflected and the final overtime buzzer sounded, a celebration broke out on the floor of the Banterra Center.
And the scoreboard said it all.
Time remaining – 0:00.
Final score – Teutopolis 42; Pinckneyville 40.
The super sectional jinx had ended. This basketball-crazy school and community could roar once again.
T-Town had claimed the Class 2A Carbondale Super Sectional title.
And the Shoes are going back to state for the first time since 2007.
By Steve Raymond
ET Sports Report
With just five minutes off the clock, the game was over.
If it had been a boxing match, it would have been called after the first round.
The Teutopolis Wooden Shoes scored the first 13 points.
Their defense was outstanding and they controlled the boards.
Brendan Niebrugge made all six of his shots and scored 15 points – all in the second quarter – and Caleb Siemer turned in a dominating 20-point, 15-rebound double-double performance.
The combination of all that was way more than Alton Marquette could handle, as the Shoes posted a 54-28 victory Wednesday night in a semifinal game of the Class 2A Newton Sectional.
T-Town will now face Lawrenceville for the sectional championship Friday night. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
If you’re a coach, you couldn’t ask for a better start to a game.
It took nearly two minutes before the first points were scored, but then it quickly turned into a rout.
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