01-11-2020
BY JACK BULLOCK
EFFINGHAM – Great teams over the years, in any sport you care to choose, night after night, game after game, are able to overcome adversity.

Especially when you wear a bullseye each time you step on the floor.

The ABV Top Ranked 1A team and state ranked Central A&M Raiders took the best shot the Teutopolis Wooden Shoes could give them in the first eight minutes of their contest at the Effingham St. Anthony Shootout on Saturday night.

Coach Rob Smith's Raiders saw the Shoes drill home six 3-pointers in the first quarter and, at one point, he looked at the scoreboard to see his squad trailing 14-2.

But there was no panic anywhere in this Raider nation.

“Our kids executed the game plan and I told them they would have to 'survive the storm', they (Teutopolis) are going to make some shots. We just needed to keep playing good defense and rebound,” said Coach Smith. “They made six 3's (in the first quarter) and they aren't going to keep making them. We were down and we told them 'that ain't going to keep happening' so we just rebounded and guarded them. It's a 32 minute game and there will be stretches like that.”

Central A&M made some adjustments and took command in the second quarter.

Behind four double-digit scorers and defense that forced Teutopolis into seven second quarter turnovers, the Raiders rolled to a double-digit advantage throughout the second half in an 80-64 victory in front of a large crowd at the Enlow Center.

Coach Smith, who was a long time assistant coach at Teutopolis under head coach Ken Crawford, saw his team improve to 11-2 on the season.

Six-foot-five senior forward Connor Heaton had a special night.

Not only did he pace the Raiders with 20 points while grabbing seven rebounds in the triumph, he reached a milestone that few in the history of the state have ever reached.

The four year varsity standout, with a made free throw with :54.0 left, reached the 2,000-point plateau for his career.

This triggered a standing ovation from everyone in attendance.

“There are a lot of 1,000 point scorers, and that is great. But that (2,000) doesn't happen very often. It is exceptional what he (Heaton) has done,” said Coach Smith.

In the over 100 year history of boy's high school basketball in Illinois, prior to 2019-20, there were only 148 players that reached 2,000 points.

You can now add Connor Heaton to the list.

Teammates 6-foot-6 senior Griffin Andricks and 5-foot-11 guard Jacob Paradee added 18 and 17 points respectively in the win.

Six-foot-three senior guard Brycen Burgener pitched in 14 in the victory.

The Raiders also got eight very important points from 6-foot-4 senior forward Connor Hutchins, seven of which came in the second half.

After hitting six 3 pointers in a win over Macon Meridian on Friday night, Andricks kept his hot shooting going as he added four more from the arc in the win Saturday.

Andricks added six rebounds in the victory.

Paradee also did a lot of work Saturday night as the senior guard grabbed eight rebounds and dished out six assists.

For the Wooden Shoes and head coach Chet Reeder, it was a tough few minutes in the second quarter that “flipped the script” in what could have been a big win for the 12-4 squad.

Teutopolis only committed 12 turnovers overall, but six of them doomed the Shoes.

“We ended the game with 12 turnovers, but six of them were in the second quarter,” said Coach Reeder. “We can't give a team like A&M more possessions. And turnovers against them are points. They are either foul shots or field goals. That kind of carried over in the third quarter. They are a good team and they will take advantage of your mistakes.”

Seven different T-Town players found the mark from the arc in the loss.

Senior guard Luke Ungrund hit three of the 3's and ended up leading the Wooden Shoes with 14 points while junior guard Jordan Hardiek added 12 points with a pair of 3 pointers to his credit.

Senior forward Mitch Hardiek ended up with 11 points while junior guard Evan Addis added 10.

Seldom in the history of the program have the Shoes been out-rebounded.

However on Saturday night the totals were 32-24 in favor of the Raiders.

While Teutopolis coughed up the “dirty dozen” turnovers, Central A&M was much better “handling the rock.”

Coach Smith's squad committed just seven miscues, with only one turnover coming in the second half.

The first quarter looked like Teutopolis was going to have their way with the 1A Raiders.

Behind early bombs from Mitch Hardiek (twice), junior guard Evan Wermert and Jordan Hardiek, Coach Smith needed a timeout as A&M trailed by 12 with 4:28 left in the first quarter.

While his teammates were struggling in the early going offensively, Burgener nailed down a trio of 3-pointers for the Raiders as they trailed 20-13 at the end of the first quarter.

Heaton “heated up” in the second quarter, as did Paradee as the Raiders gradually climbed back even with the Shoes.

A 13-2 run, closed by a Paradee trey, evened the score at 28-all with 2:10 left before halftime.

Following a score inside for Teutopolis by junior forward Matthew Deters that gave the Shoes a 30-28 lead, the Raiders closed the quarter by scoring the final six points of the half for a 34-30 spread at the break.

Six-foot-four junior reserve forward Ross Sloan hit his only shot of the night, a 3-pointer from the left corner before Burgener added 1-of-2 free throws.

A driving lay in by Paradee sent the teams to intermission.

After playing zone in the first quarter, A&M switched defenses in the second quarter, which worked as they turned things completely around.

“We went to a 'sagging' man-to-man in the second quarter and it's a good sign when it still looks like a zone,” said Coach Smith. “We usually play zone or man early and figure out what works.”

Andricks nailed all four of his 3-pointers in the third quarter as A&M assumed control.

He opened the second half with a bomb from the left corner and he closed his run with another trey from the same spot as he took a nice assist from Paradee.

That score pushed the Raiders' lead to 49-38 at the 3:12 mark.

After Ungrund added a 3-pointer for Teutopolis, Central A&M added another run beginning with Heaton converting a three-point play as he was fouled by Mitch Hardiek.

Hutchins scored in the paint and Paradee drove the middle of the lane for a basket for a 56-41 advantage.

Teutopolis scored the final four points of the half on a free throw from Ungrund and a 3-pointer from Mitch Hardiek as the Wooden Shoes were down 56-45.

Following 1-of-2 free throws from Heaton, T-Town's Brock Deters scored on a rebound bucket to get his team to within 57-47 with 6:49 to go.

That, unfortunately for the Teutopolis faithful, was as close as it would get for the club.

Central A&M closed out the game by continuing to spread the offense with Paradee “running the show.”

He spent most of the fourth quarter driving to the basket where he would either dish the ball to a teammate, finish with a score or get to the foul line.

“When they get a lead in the second half, it is tough to come back. They (A&M) have guys who can handle the ball and drive to the basket. And they are surrounded by shooters,” said Coach Reeder. “It is tough to comeback against a team like that.”

Paradee scored 10 of his 17 in the fourth quarter with two baskets and 6-of-8 free throws.

Heaton hit 8-of-12 free throws while Andricks hit both of his fourth quarter foul shots (4-of-4 for the game) as the Raiders closed out the win in championship-type style.

“We went to that (spread offense) we told them 'they have to guard us now' and once they had to guard us if we make free throws we will be in good shape,” said Coach Smith.

Jordan Hardiek and sophomore Max Niebrugge hit a pair of late Teutopolis 3-pointers to make the score a bit better.

“He (Heaton) is a tremendous player and an excellent young man. Which makes it even better,” said Coach Reeder. “It makes it easy to root for him. The goal was to not let him get that (2,000) tonight but I'm happy for him.”

Heaton, after the game, put the moment into perspective.

“It was a big win tonight, first of all. T-Town is a great team and that was a great win right there,” said Heaton. “It has just been a fun career playing for Coach Smith and Coach Weakly and all of those guys for all four years. Learning as I go each year. The biggest thing is winning games with my teammates. That means more than anything.”

Both of these teams, as they should, have postseason aspirations in both 1A and 2A.

Central A&M can't afford any sort of let down with the tough slate of games on the horizon.

The Raiders travel to ABV 1A top ten Altamont on Tuesday night before a Central Illinois Conference game against 2A Clinton at home.

“This was a super win against a program like that,” said Coach Smith. “Lots of tradition and well coached. Having been there made it (the win) a little more special.”

The Independent Wooden Shoes will host state-ranked and 1A annual power Madison on Tuesday night and then 2A St. Joseph-Ogden on Friday.

“It is a process for us and we are still a bit inexperienced at some positions but we are getting there,” said Coach Reeder. “I think in a month we will be pretty darn good.”

Teutopolis (64) – J. Hardiek 2 2 2-2 12, Niebrugge 0 1 0-0 3, Wermert 0 1 0-0 3, M. Hardiek 1 3 0-0 11, Poelker 0 0 0-0 0, Addis 1 2 2-2 10, Ungrund 1 3 3-4 14, B. Deters 1 1 0-0 5, M. Deters 3 0 0-0 6.
2FG-9, 3FG-13, FT-7-8, PF-23.
Central A&M (80) – Sloan 0 1 0-0 3, Andricks 1 4 4-4 18, Paradee 4 1 6-8 17, Heaton 4 1 9-15 20, Burgener 2 3 1-2 14, Hutchins 3 0 2-5 8, Enge 0 0 0-0 0.
2FG-14, 3FG-10, FT-22-34, PF-10.
Fouled Out – Addis - Teutopolis.
Technical Fouls – None.

Neoga improved to 14-4 on the season with the victory with three players in double-figures in scoring.

Paci McClure, a 5-foot-11 sophomore, paced the Tribe with 19 points while senior guard Trevor Roy tossed in 16.

Trenton Moore, a senior guard, added 13 points for Neoga in a victory that will be a big feather in the cap when it comes to postseason seedings.

Trailing 36-35 heading into the fourth quarter, the Indians outscored the Tigers, 24-17 to wrap up the win.

Coach Rob Flanagan saw his team slip to 8-8 overall for the season.

Six-foot-five sophomore Chase Travis led all scorers with 26 points while 5-foot-11 junior guard Braden Flanagan added 13.

Neoga (59) – Banning 1 1 0-0 5, Fearday 1 0 0-0 2, Titus 0 1 1-2 4, Dunn 0 0 0-0 0, Moore 5 1 0-1 13, McClure 4 3 2-4 19, Roy 5 0 6-8 16.
2FG-16, 3FG-6, FT-9-15, PF-14.
Olney East Richland (53) – Flanagan 4 1 2-2 13, Lambird 0 0 0-0 0, Blank 2 1 0-0 7, Miller 3 0 1-1 7, Kocher 0 0 0-0 0, Travis 7 0 12-17 26, Beard 0 0 0-0 0, Wright 0 0 0-0 0.
2FG-16, 3FG-2, FT-15-20, PF-16.
Fouled Out – Banning, Moore - Neoga.
Technical Fouls – None.

Six-foot-five junior Nate Thompson led the Hearts with 20 points while Drew Thompson added 14.

Senior guard Tate Niebrugge added 12 in the win.

Coach Tom Brannan saw his C-W club drop to 12-6 on the season, despite 16 points from junior guard Noah Livingston and 14 points from sophomore guard Rece Overbeck.

Overbeck hit four 3 pointers while teammate junior guard Dawson Dallape added eight points with a pair of 3 pointers.

The Warriors hit eight 3's in the contest but were just 5-of-11 from the foul line in the loss.

Effingham was a robust 19-of-26 from the charity stripe.

Casey-Westfield (49) – Branson 1 0 0-0 2, Chrysler 0 0 0-0 0, Hosselton 1 0 0-0 2, Livingston 4 2 2-5 16, Dallape 1 2 0-0 8, Patrick 0 0 0-0 0, Overbeck 0 4 2-3 14, Hills 3 0 1-3 7.
2FG-10, 2FG-8, FT-5-11, PF-24.
Effingham (57) – G. Wolfe 0 0 0-0 0, Niebrugge 1 2 4-4 12, P. Wolfe 2 0 0-3 4, D. Thompson 2 1 7-8 14, Ritz 0 0 1-2 1, N. Thompson 6 1 5-9 20, Pals 0 0 0-1 0, Stoneburner 2 0 2-3 6.
2FG-13, 3FG-4, FT-19-27, PF-14.
Fouled Out – Branson - Casey-Westfield.
Technical Fouls – None.

Coach Troy Bierman saw his club jump out to a 21-6 first quarter lead and never looked back while improving to 10-7 on the season.

Six-foot-three senior Kyle Schafer tossed in 21 points in the win while teammate and classmate Jarrett Tharp “thumped” the Aces with 17.

Senior Justin Zumbahlen added eight points in the win.

Coach Tyler Buss and his Aces had a rough weekend in Effingham County.

On Friday night Mt. Carmel lost to Effingham St. Anthony, they then spent the night in town before being ambushed by Newton Saturday afternoon.

Mt. Carmel got 18 points from junior Beau Stipp and 10 points from freshman Gage Kennard in the loss as the Aces overall mark fell to 11-6.

Coach Buss is missing 6-foot-6 junior center Kaleb Applebey, who is out with an injury.

Mt. Carmel (39) – Stipp 2 3 5-7 18,, Gill 0 1 0-0 3, Kennard 1 2 2-2 12, Kline 0 0 0-0 0, Martin 0 0 0-0 0, Laws 0 0 0-0 0, Patberg 1 0 1-2 3, Peterson 0 0 0-0 0, Belt 0 0 0-1 0, Allen 0 0 0-0 0, Zimmerman 0 1 2-2 5.
2FG-4, 3FG-7, FT-10-14, PF-22.
Newton (60) – Meinhart 0 0 0-0 0, E. Schafer 1 0 2-2 4, Tharp 3 2 5-6 17, Eckl 0 0 0-0 0, Ochs 0 0 0-0 0, Einhorn 2 0 2-4 6, K. Schafer 7 0 7-7 21, Zumbahlen 0 2 2-4 8, 0 0 0-0 0, Eaton 1 0 0-0 2, Weber 0 0 0-1 0, Wright 0 0 0-0 0.
2FG-14, 3FG-4, FT-20-26, PF-16.
Fouled Out – Stipp - Mt. Carmel.
Technical Fouls – None.

PARIS 63, CH/BC 33
The Tigers moved over .500 for the year at 9-8 with the win over the Bobcats as 11 Paris players hit the board in the romp.

Five-foot-eleven junior guard Mason Hutchings led Paris with 14 points, including three 3-pointers.

Junior guard Jude Sullivan added 11 for Coach Chase Brinkley's squad as they broke open a close game in the second quarter with a 19-2 spread for a 31-13 lead.

Garrett King tossed in seven points for the Tigers.

CH/BC saw their mark slip to 3-15 on the season.

Coach Donovan Riley got eight points from 5-foot-11 sophomore Jadon Robertson in the loss.

CH/BC (33) – Buchanan 1 0 0-0 2, Burris 0 0 0-0 0, Tayulor 2 0 0-0 4, J. Robertson 4 0 0-0 8, Robbins 0 0 0-0 0, Peranga (SP) 0 0 0-1 0, Buzzard 0 1 0-0 3, Doty 2 0 2-2 6, Ch. Robertson 1 0 0-0 2, Lucas 2 0 2-2 6, Carrey 0 0 0-0 0, Grey 1 0 0-1 2.
2FG-13, 3FG-1 FT-4-6, PF-8.
Paris (63) – Allen 0 0 0-0 0, Hutchings 2 3 1-2 14, Farnham 1 0 0-0 2, King 2 1 0-0 7, Porter 0 2 0-0 6, Breneman 3 0 0-0 6, Rhoads 2 0 0-0 4, Landrum 1 0 0-0 2, Mills 0 1 0-0 3, Waggoner 0 0 0-0 0, Sullivan 3 1 2-2 11, Bowers 1 0 0-0 2, Creech 2 0 0-0 4, Brinkerhoff 1 0 0-1 2.
2FG-18, 3FG-7, FT-3-5, PF-12.
Fouled Out – None.
Technical Fouls – None.

A 15-6 fourth quarter finished off the win for Coach Josh Krumwiede and his club that improved to 10-6 on the season.

Three different players hit for double-digits in scoring in the victory.

Senior forward Cole Biebrugge paced the Maroons with 18 points while senior guard Collin Hartke added 14.

Junior guard Cory Gephart tossed in 13 for Dieterich, one of eight players to ink the book.

Chrisman, unfortunately, remains win-less on the season (0-15) despite 14 points from senior guard Landry Lorenzen.

Lorenzen hit four 3-pointers for the Cardinals in the loss.

Chrisman (38) – Brazelton 0 0 0-1 0, Webster 0 0 0-0 0, Snedeker 0 0 0-0 0, Hale 1 0 0-0 2, Lewsader 0 0 0-0 0, Smith 3 1 0-0 9, Loenzen 1 4 0-0 14, Phipps 0 0 0-0 0, Miller 0 0 0-0 0, Gage DeWeese 0 0 0-2 0, Gavin DeWeese 3 0 0-0 6, Neuman 3 0 1-2 7.
2FG-11, 3FG-5, FT-1-5, PF-19
Dieterich (69) – Gephart 0 1 0-0 3, Budde 3 2 1-3 13, Lidy 3 0 0-0 6, Kidd 0 0 0-0 0, Britton 2 1 0-0 7, Garrett Niebrugge 0 0 0-0 0, Cole Niebrugge 5 2 2-4 18, Hartke 4 0 6-8 14, Kuhl 1 0 3-4 5, Westendorf 1 0 1-2 3.
2FG-19, 3FG-6, FT-13-21, PF-12.
Fouled Out – None.
Technical Fouls – None.