EFFINGHAM —
No matter who the Hearts put on the court on Friday night, their offense worked like a finely-tuned machine against Mattoon at Effingham High School.
Whether it was a layup from a post player or a three-pointer from a guard, the Hearts were able to create open shots all night long, leading to a 53-39 victory.
Nine Effingham players got on the score sheet, led by Tim Gardewine, who came off the bench to score 12 points for the Hearts.
“I thought Tim Gardewine really had a great basketball game for us,” Effingham coach Ron Reed said. “He had one of his best games of the season.”
Alex Carie was the only other Heart in double figures, scoring 10 points on the night. Jake Stombaugh added nine points and Hunter Keith had seven points.
It was the first game back from suspension for Jake and Josh Stombaugh, and their presence gave Effingham (5-1) a major boost.
“I was happy for Josh and Jake Stombaugh,” Reed said. “This was their first game back and they made some good plays.”
Josh came off the bench, as did Gardewine, leading to a solid effort overall from the backups.
“I thought a lot of our guys played really well,” Reed said. “Our bench really contributed a lot.”
The offense worked inside-out for most of the night. If there weren’t any open layups, guys like Gardewine, the Stombaughs and Clark Williamson would kick it out to the perimeter, where Carie, Keith and the rest of the guards were waiting for their shots.
“They wre able to kick it out and we got Alex and Josh and Hunter some pretty good looks out there,” Reed said.
Defensively, the Hearts played well too, twice holding the Green Wave to under 10 points in a quarter.
“Defensively, we were pretty good,” Reed said. “Hopefully we’ll learn from this about how to put games away when we have a lead.”
Michael White was the only Mattoon player to reach double figures, scoring 11 points on the night.
Reed said he was pleased with his team’s overall effort, but added the Hearts still have plenty of room for improvement.
“I like what I saw from our guys,” he said. “But, we still need to work on some things and try to get better in some other areas.”
Now, the Hearts will have three days to prepare for a date against the Teutopolis Wooden Shoes in Teutopolis.
Reed said his players are excited for the opportunity to square off against the nearby rivals.
“It’s a tough place to play over there,” Reed said. “It’s always a lot of fun and a great atmosphere.”
Effingham 53, Mattoon 39
Mattoon 9 10 9 11 — 39
Effingham 14 18 11 10 — 53
Effingham — Gardewine 12 pts., Carie 10, Stombaugh, Ja. 9, Keith 7, Lark 4, Knight 4, Stombaugh, Jo. 3, Williamson 2, Frey 2
Mattoon — White 11 pts., Sparks 8, Speer 8, Hutchinson 4, Pilson 3, Kittell 2, Vieth 1
Sports
December 10, 2012
Hearts beat Mattoon with balanced attack
- Sports
-
-
Extra-inning affair Neoga tops Central A&M in 11 frames
ASSUMPTION - Seven innings weren't enough to settle Thursday's game between Neoga and Central A&M. Neither were three extra frames. In the bottom of the 11th, however, the Indians finally had their answer. After back-to-back singles from Guy Walk an
-
Cougars' bats lead them to regional final South Central downs St. Elmo 12-0
KINMUNDY - During the 2013 season, St. Elmo's Connor Beasley has thrown a no-hitter and struck out 19 batters on two separate occasions. If the South Central Cougars had heard that, it certainly didn't show, as they brought the bats to Beasley and t
-
Twelve move on at girls state finals
CHARLESTON -- Nine local runners and one relay team advanced to the state finals at the Class 1A state track meet Thursday at Eastern Illinois University. The Class 1A preliminary events were held Thursday, with the qualifiers advancing to the state
-
Cumberland capitalizes on Dieterich error
LOUISVILLE -- Dieterich's defense was nearly flawless in Wednesday's North Clay Regional semifinal. Starting pitcher Alex Bohnhoff surrendered just two hits, struck out three, and allowed zero earned runs. But the Movin' Maroons made one mistake in t
-
Timely hitting fuels North Clay to regional final
LOUISVILLE - North Clay was not perfect by any means in Wednesday's regional semifinal game against visiting Oblong, but the Cardinals still found enough at the plate to get the job done on an off night. A number of timely hits, including a solo hom
- Indians advance to regional final Altamont downs Patoka 7-1 KINMUNDY -- It took just one big hit -- and a bit of wind -- to get the Altamont offense going Wednesday against Patoka. Jon Kuhns' solo home run to left field in the fourth erased a 1-0 Patoka lead, and kickstarted the Indians as they ended up down
-
Teutopolis' Weichman finalizes college plans
When Emily Weichman decided to attend St. Louis College of Pharmacy, cross country was an afterthought. After watching her grandather fall ill, she decided she wanted to help people recover, and pharmaceutical studies fit her best. "I decided on St
-
Altamont headed to regional final
ST. ELMO - Altamont head coach John Niebrugge is admittedly a little intense. So much so, in fact, that his team had to remind him to settle down after a sluggish warmup before Tuesday's opening round of the St. Elmo Regional softball tournament agai
-
Cougars eliminated by Mulberry Grove 4-1
During a game last season, Mulberry Grove had no trouble handling South Central as they defeated the Cougars 17-0. What a difference a year makes. While the Cougars still came up on the short end of the stick Tuesday in their St. Elmo regional semi
-
Schuette signs with Illinois Central
Gone are the days when Jacob Schuette lit up opposing defenses in the Enlow Center, combining his smooth shooting stroke with an uncanny ability to create space from any defender. Although St. Anthony fans will no longer be treated to his offensive a
- More Sports Headlines
-
