EHS Drops Close Girls Game To Olney

OLNEY -- This was a close one most of the way before the homestanding Tigers edged Effingham, 54-52 in a non-conference girls basketball contest Thursday evening.

The Hearts held a 13-9 opening quarter lead but Olney came back with a 16-9 second period run to lead 25-22 at halftime. Then it was the Hearts turn to go on a tear with a 19-9 count to lead 41-34 going into the final quarter.

Then things fell apart as the Tigers rallied for a 20-11 run and the victory.

Jantzen Michael led EHS with 18 points while Aly Armstrong chipped in with 11.

"This was a tough loss for us on the road," said EHS Coach Jeff  Schafer. "We had our chances and just did not get the job done. We made a great play at the end of the game and should have had a chance for the game-winning layup and we got it taken away. I feel bad for our kids. We did have our chances, but we should have won the game tonight. We have to put this behind us and learn from our mistakes and get ready for a rematch with Centralia."

The Hearts finished regular season play with a 14-15 record and will open play in the Class 3A Olney Regional at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday against No. 2-seeded Centralia. In the opening contest Wednesday, top-seeded Salem will take on either Olney or Mount Vernon at 6 p.m. Olney and Mount Vernon meet at 7 p.m. Monday. The sectional championship is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, February 20.

At Olney

EFFINGHAM (52)

Michael 5-6 -- 18, Beals 2-0 -- 4, Armstrong 3-2 -- 11, Steffen 0-5 -- 5, Webster 1-0 -- 2, Nunamaker 0-0 -- 0, Crowell 0-0 -- 0, Field 1-0 -- 2, Myers 3-4 -- 10. TOTALS 15 FG, 17 FT.

OLNEY (54)

Eagleson 1-1 -- 4, Ja. Luna 5-1 -- 14, Rauch 3-0 -- 7, Ju. Luna 6-8 -- 21, Noreen 0-2 -- 2, Inyart 3-0 -- 6. TOTALS 18 FG, 12 FT.

Effingham          13      9    19    11    --    52

Olney                    9    16      9    20    --    54

3-point FG -- Effingham 5 (Michael 2, Armstrong 3), Olney 6 (Ja. Luna 3, Rauch 1, Ju. Luna 1, Eagleson 1).