Ty Pence pumped in 26 points Tuesday night, helping the St. Joe-Ogden Spartans post a 53-40 win at home over Teutopolis in a battle between two Top 10 teams.

Pence scored 10 points in the opening quarter and the hosts led 14-10. The game was close throughout, but SJO led at the end of each stop. The Spartans were on top 26-24 at intermission and 37-33 after three periods. They hit 10-of-13 free throws in the final eight minutes and outscored the Shoes 16-7 to secure the victory.

The Spartans, who ranked No. 3 in last week’s Class 2A poll, improved to 13-2 on the season.

Caleb Siemer led T-Town with 16 points and Joey Niebrugge added nine.

THS, ranked No. 5, dipped to 14-3 overall. The Shoes will play Saturday at Madison.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

Is there a team playing better basketball right now in Class 2A than the Teutopolis Wooden Shoes?

The Shoes, who are ranked No. 5 in the Class 2 poll, have won 11 of their past 12 games – and that loss was to Class 4A Lincoln-Way East in the championship game of the Effingham-Teutopolis Christmas Classic.

They continued that roll Saturday afternoon by romping past Warrensburg-Latham at home, 68-31.

“We don’t get caught up in rankings and that kind of stuff,” THS coach Chet Reeder said after the game. “I’m proud of these guys. It was no secret we were going to be a good team this year. But these kids worked hard and got better during the off-season and continue to work hard every day in practice. And the best part about this team? We feel we can still be better.”

One thing is for certain. The Shoes were not tested Saturday.

Warrensburg-Latham scored the first two points and then never led again. James Niebrugge hit four short jumpers and had 11 points in the first eight minutes. Seven of those came during a 10-0 run that put the Shoes up 10-2 and ignited the rout.

Garrett Gaddis and Logan Roepke both connected from long range in the final 90 seconds, giving THS a 22-6 advantage heading into the second period.

The onslaught continued the rest of the half. The Shoes had runs of 7-0 and 9-1 during the period and held a comfortable 25-point cushion, 38-13, at intermission.

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The Teutopolis Lady Shoes staged a fourth quarter rally Monday night that resulted in a 50-47 victory at home over Bethalto Civic Memorial.

Heading into the final eight minutes, the Lady Shoes trailed 42-37. But Kaylee Niebrugge scored eight points and Chloe Probst knocked down three free throws, helping T-Town outscore the Lady Eagles 13-5 and come away with the hard-fought win.

THS held a slim 8-7 lead after the opening quarter, but trailed 25-21 at halftime.

Niebrugge finished with a game-high 22 points, while Emily Konkel added 15.

The Lady Shoes, who improved to 16-2 on the season, will travel to Flora on Thursday and then open play in the Highland Tournament on Saturday. They will play Waterloo at 11:30 a.m.

Kaylee Niebrugge continued her strong season, posting yet another double-double Saturday and leading the Teutopolis Lady Shoes to a 47-43 win over Rochester at the Breese Central Shootout.

The game was close throughout. The Lady Rockets led 12-10 after the opening eight minutes and it was 18-18 at halftime. T-Town outscored Rochester 13-8 in the third period to take a 31-26 advantage into the final quarter.

Niebrugge scored seven points and Chloe Probst added six more, helping the Lady Shoes secure their 15^th win of the season.

Niebrugge finished with 21 points and 12 points. Emily Konkel scored nine points and both Probst and Summer Wall added six. Kaylen Reed had 15 points for Rochester, which fell to 14-5 on the season.

The Lady Shoes, who improved to 15-2 on the season, will have another tough test Monday when they return home to face Bethalto Civic Memorial.