Basketball

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

Joey Niebrugge must have a look.

Chet Reeder and Garrett Gaddis both saw it.

They knew the free throws were going in.

“I could see it in his eyes,” Gaddis said. “There was no doubt they were going in.”

“I saw that look in his eyes before he even stepped to the line,” Coach Reeder repeated. “He looked over at me and nodded. I knew they were going in.”

Turns out, the senior guard and veteran coach are both clairvoyant.

Just a few moments later, Niebrugge made two pressure-packed foul shots with only three seconds to play that proved to be the game-winners. When a last-second heave from beyond half court hit off the top of the backboard, the Teutopolis Wooden Shoes had a 50-48 victory over Newton Friday night in the championship game of the Class 2A Newton Regional.

“I just tried to relax,” Niebrugge said, describing what he was feeling when he went to the line in the closing seconds. “After the first one went in, I really did feel more relaxed. It was easier making the second free throw. I’m just glad I could come through for my team.”

It was the 14^th straight regional title for the Shoes, who will now advance to the Shelbyville Sectional. T-Town, now 22-10, will play at 7 p.m. Wednesday night and face Tolono Unity, who enters with a 26-4 record. The Rockets defeated Warrensburg-Latham, 65-46, to win the Monticello Regional.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

Not much was expected from this team.

Where would the scoring come from?

How good would they be on defense?

Who would provide the leadership?

There were certainly a lot of questions that surrounded this Teutopolis Lady Shoes basketball team.

And rightfully so. After all, most of the players had little to no varsity experience.

But they responded by winning 21 games and capturing the school’s 15^th straight regional title.

Unfortunately, that journey came to an end Thursday night.

The Lady Shoes battled to the very end before dropping a 59-55 decision to Robinson in the championship game of the Class 2A Newton Sectional.

“At the beginning of the season, nobody thought we’d be in a sectional final,” said THS coach Laurie Thompson. “But these girls have worked so hard. I’m proud of them.”

Robinson looked to be in control, owning an eight-point lead – 55-47 – with three minutes to play. But Chloe Probst made a jumper, followed by a pair of free throws. Allie Ruholl then added another foul shot and T-Town was within just three points, 55-52, at the 1:24 mark.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

The game was only two minutes old and Coach Laurie Thompson knew she needed to make a change.

The Teutopolis Lady Shoes had missed their first two shots, turned the ball over three times and hadn’t scored a point.

Off the bench came Anna Probst and things changed instantly.

The sophomore sharpshooter hit her first three-pointer 31 seconds later, proving the spark the team needed.

She drained four shots from behind the arc in the first half, helping the Lady Shoes build a double-digit lead, and then connected on a clutch three in the fourth quarter, helping T-Town survive and advance, which is the ultimate goal in the postseason.

When the final horn sounded, the Lady Shoes had posted a 56-48 win over Maroa-Forsyth in a semifinal game of the Class 2A Newton Sectional.

Teutopolis will now face Robinson in the sectional championship game. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday.

When Anna Probst entered the game, her team was only trailing 2-0. But the Lady Shoes were out-of-sync. Her first three got things rolling. She connected again late in the opening quarter, helping T-Town build a 15-7 advantage.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

For the first 7:13 of the game Wednesday night, the Teutopolis Wooden Shoes looked fantastic.

The rest of the game, not so much.

But the early burst – that included deadly shooting from behind the arc – proved be enough, as T-Town came away with a 59-37 win over Marshall in a semifinal game of the Class 2A Newton Regional.

The Shoes will now face Newton in the championship game, which is set for 7 p.m. Friday. The Eagles advanced to the sectional final by defeating Palestine-Hutsonville 91-59.

Mitch Koester helped get THS off to a quick start, connecting on a three-pointer just 19 seconds into the game. Alex Kremer followed with a basket and Koester drained another three, staking the Shoes to an 8-0 lead.

After the Lions scored the next four points, T-Town started another run with three straight baskets from long range. Garrett Gaddis hit the first one, then Koester, then Gaddis again. When Kremer converted a Marshall turnover into a bucket, it capped an 11-0 scoring spree to expand the THS lead to 19-4 at the 2:56 mark.

Gaddis and Koester both drilled three shots from behind the arc in the quarter. When the opening eight minutes were over, it was still a 15-point advantage, 22-7.

But the remaining 24 minutes were less than stellar. The outcome of the game was never in doubt, but the Shoes simply didn’t look good from the second quarter on. They didn’t defend well or take care of the basketball – both issues Chet Reeder addressed after the game.

The Teutopolis Wooden Shoes will be looking to keep their string of regional titles going when the postseason opens the week of February 19.

The Shoes – not counting the 2021 season when COVID prevented the postseason from being played – have won 13 consecutive regionals. And since the 2002 postseason, they have brought home the regional plaque 19 times in 21 years.

A year ago, the Shoes beat Robinson to win the Teutopolis Regional and went on to capture a sectional and super sectional title, en route to a third place finish at the Class 2A State Tournament.

This year, T-Town will enter as the No. 2 seed in the Class 2A Newton Regional and play its first game on Wednesday, Feb. 21. They will play either Paris or Marshall.

The regional championship is set for 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 23.

The winner will advance to the Shelbyville Sectional, which will begin on Tuesday, Feb. 27. Winners from the St. Joseph, Monticello and Vandalia regionals will also advance to the Shelbyville Sectional.

Here is the complete schedule for the Newton Regional:

Monday, Feb. 19

Game 1 – 7 p.m. – No. 10 Paris at No. 9 Marshall

Game 2 – 6 p.m. – No. 12 Palestine-Hutsonville at No. 7 Mt. Carmel

Wednesday, Feb. 21

Game 3 – 6 p.m. – No. 2 Teutopolis vs. Winner Game 1

Game 4 – 7:30 p.m. – No. 3 Newton vs. Winner Game 2

Friday, Feb. 23

Game 5 – 7 p.m. – Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 (championship)