By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

There’s nothing like knocking down a few shots at one end of the floor and getting a couple stops at the other end to inject a little confidence into a basketball team.

After a couple tough losses at St. Joe-Ogden and Madison, the Teutopolis Wooden Shows were in need of an injection of confidence.

Tuesday night’s game proved to be just what the doctor ordered.

The Shoes shot 57 percent and had four players in double figures on offense.

And their defense held the opponent to 39 percent shooting, while forcing 12 turnovers.

That combination proved to be the boost needed to get back on the winning track.

T-Town never trailed and turned in a solid 69-48 winning performance over Danville at J.H. Griffin Gynasium.

“It doesn’t matter who you’re playing,” THS coach Chet Reeder said. “When you’ve lost a couple in a row, it’s hard to get back on track. You that in the first half. We’d get a little momentum and then take a bad shot or throw the ball away. We just kept getting in our own way.”

Yet, they never lost the lead.

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The Teutopolis Lady Shoes used a big third quarter to build a double-digit lead, en route to a 53-43 win over Waterloo on Saturday in on opening round game of the Scott Credit Union Girls Basketball Tournament in Highland.

T-Town, the No. 2 ranked Class 2A team in the state, held a slim 24-23 lead at halftime. But Courtney Gibson knocked down a three and scored seven points, while Emily Konkel and Kaylee Niebrugge added six and five points, respectively, helping the Lady Shoes outscore Waterloo 20-10 in the third period and open a 44-33 lead.

THS then made 7-of-12 free throws in the final eight minutes to secure the win.

Niebrugge finished with 19 points and Konkel scored 17 to pace the Lady Shoes. Gibson added nine. Konkel also pulled down nine rebounds and Chloe Probst had three steals.

The Lady Shoes improved to 18-2 on the season. They will now play the winner of the Alton-Triad game at 7 p.m. Monday.

The Teutopolis Lady Shoes gave Alton, the undefeated and No. 3-ranked Class 4A team, all they could handle Monday night.

But the Lady Redbirds staged a fourth quarter rally that erased a nine-point deficit and kept their unbeaten season alive, finishing with a 58-56 victory in a second-round game of the Scott Credit Union Girls Basketball Tournament in Highland.

The Lady Shoes got 11 first-quarter points and took an 18-11 lead after the opening eight minutes. T-Town built a nine-point lead at halftime, 32-23, and was still on top by that margin, 44-35, heading into the fourth period.

But Alton’s Laila Blakeny scored 10 of her 20 points in that final quarter, plus the Lady Shoes missed some crucial free throws, going just 5-for-10 down the stretch. All of that helped Alton outscored THS 23-12 and get the two-point win.

Alton is now 21-0 on the season.

Niebrugge turned in another double-double for the Lady Shoes, scoring 26 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Emily Konkel was also in double figures with 12 points.

The Lady Shoes dipped to 18-3 on the season. They will now play Highland at 5 p.m. Thursday.

The Teutopolis Wooden Shoes traveled to Madison Saturday and suffered its second straight loss of the week, falling 50-43 to the Trojans.

Madison led throughout. The Trojans jumped on top, 12-6, after the first eight minutes and stretched their lead to 22-15 at halftime. It was 38-29 heading into the fourth quarter.

Caleb Siemer was the only T-Town player to crack double figures, finishing with a game-high 17 points.

THS dipped to 14-4 on the season. The Shoes will return home to play Danville on Tuesday.