Teutopolis edges Lawrenceville
Wooden Shoes advance to second straight super-sectional
03/03/2023
BY DAN CHAMNESS
NEWTON - It was quite simply a battle. In the air, on the hardwood, literately on the wood, and at the charity stripe.

If there was not an intense rivalry between the Teutopolis Wooden Shoes, who emerged with a 61-54 victory, and the Lawrenceville Indians before Friday night's Illinois High School Association Class 2A Newton Sectional, there is now.

"Our captains simply kept hope alive," said Chet Reeder, the Wooden Shoes head coach. "When we got inside and grabbed some rebounds, we started to do better. We never lost hope. They kept telling the players to hang in there and not give up."

Trailing by a slim one-point, 46-45, entering the fourth quarter, the Wooden Shoes took the lead for good within the first minute. Junior guard Garrett Gaddis nailed nothing but the strings as he fired away and was successful from the left wing at 7:24.

Less than a minute later, with 6:31 to play, Teutopolis built on that lead as 6-foot-5 junior Joey Niebrugge hit a two pointer to extend the lead to 50-46. Layton Ivers, an Indian senior, hit one of two fourth quarter Indian buckets within a next minute of play.

To stay one step, or two trips down the floor ahead of the Indians, Joey Niebrugge nailed a pair of free throws at 4:13.

The rest of the game was basically contested as the clock was at a standstill.

Bryant Jenkins netted a pair of free throws at 3:33 off of a Wooden Shoe foul immediately preceding a 6-0 run by Teutopolis.

James Niebrugge, a Wooden Shoe senior, was responsible for five of those points.

The guard/forward nailed a bucket and a free throw at the 2:59 mark to complete an old fashioned three point play.

He followed that at 1:52 with another bucket.

Caleb Siemer added the final point of the run, hitting the second of two free throws to complete the run.

The unanswered points gave Teutopolis a nearly insurmountable 58-50 lead with less than 90 seconds to play.

Ivers would hit a pair of charity tosses and bucket by driving the paint in that final 90 seconds.

Of the double digit scorers in Newton Sectional Title game on Friday, of which were there were five, three are slated to return to their respective schools and strap on the uniform for the 2023-2024 school year.

Gaddis led all scorers with 23 points for the victors.

He of the six treys also hit two field goals and his only free throw opportunity.

The junior Wooden Shoe player was joined by James Niebrugge and Joey Niebrugge, who each had 13 points.

James will be graduating. He scored his points by hitting five field goals and all three free throw opportunities.

Joey Niebruegge hit three field goals and 7-of-8 from the charity stripe.

For the vanquished Indians, Ivers, the other senior among the double digit scorers, had 20 points.

He nailed six field goals, two treys and both free throws. Jenkins, an Indian junior, bucketed one field goal, three three-pointers and three free throws to finish with 14 points.

Lawrenceville finished 26-9.

"They played good defense on us and their depth came into play," said Randy Bishop, Lawrenceville's head coach. "I thought when the year started we would win 16 or 17 games. We surpassed that. I ran a diamond-n-one on Niebrugge, but they used a 1-2-2 trap and they used it to capitalize on some turnovers and change the momentum. We did a good job on Niebrugge. Their left-handed player drained about three threes in a row. They also had four players they can use off the bench. I have got one."

Teutopolis will move on with a 27-7 mark.

On Monday night, they will play in the Carbondale Class 2A Super-sectional against Pinckneyville, who dumped Breese Central in their sectional.
2A Newton Sectional Championship Game
1
2
3
4
-
F
Lawrenceville
13
17
16
08
-
54
Teutopolis
14
10
17
16
-
61

Lawrenceville (54) – Hardiman 1 1 0-0 5, Sanders 0 2 0-0 6, Ivers 6 2 2-2 20, Halter 0 0 0-0 0, Jenkins 1 3 3-5 14, Pargin 2 1 2-2 9. 2FG-10, 3FG-9, FT-7-9, PF-19.
Teutopolis (61) – B. Niebrugge 0 0 1-2 1, Bloemer 0 0 0-0 0, Gaddis 2 6 1-1 23, Roepke 0 0 0-0 0, Jo. Niebrugge 3 0 7-8 13, Koester 0 0 0-0 0, Ja. Niebrugge 5 0 3-3 13, Siemer 3 0 5-8 11.
2FG-13, 3FG-6, FT-12-22, PF-12
Fouled Out – Pargin - Lawrenceville.
Technical Fouls – None.