VANDALIA — One timeout was all Effingham head coach Jeff Schafer needed to get his message across.
The Flaming Hearts trailed 10-0 to start the game against Greenville in the championship game of the Vandalia Mid-Winter Tournament. That timeout changed everything, though.
“After that 10-0 start, we didn’t panic,” Schafer said.
Effingham cut the Lady Comets lead in half after Greenville’s hot start.
Bria Beals hit a three-pointer and Alyssa Martin made a pair of free throws.
Averie Wolfe then started the second frame with a layup after stealing the ball underneath the basket following a missed Sidney Donaldson shot and Lady Comets rebound. That play made it a four-point game, 11-7, with 5:35 left.
Donaldson then hit back-to-back layups to tie the game.
Bella Austin converted a layup and drew a foul with 3:23 left to give Effingham a two-point lead. Austin missed her foul shot, but the Hearts made up for it.
After Greenville tied the game at 13, Olivia Moser hit a layup to give the Hearts a 15-13 lead with 40.9 seconds to go.
Effingham then took a five-point lead into the fourth.
Lady Comet Emma Veith tied the game at 17 apiece in the third after hitting a three-pointer with 5:20 left. Haylee Clark then made a layup to give Greenville a 19-17 lead with 4:04 remaining.
Beals then hit a floater to tie the game at 19. Austin followed with a layup with 2:22 to go that put the Hearts ahead, 21-19.
Austin’s go-ahead basket at the time was more monumental than she thought, too, as it was her 999th and 1,000th points of her career, counting her time at Vandalia and Effingham.
“She doesn’t care (about scoring),” Schafer said. “That’s the great thing. We were telling her to be more aggressive. I didn’t think she attacked the basket very hard and kind of settled.”
Austin laughed after the game when asked if she was now the best basketball player in the family. She became the only player in her family to record 1,000 points in her high school career.
“I wouldn’t say I’m the best hooper in the family, but it’s very special to me, especially with this team,” Austin said. “I feel like we fought hard to get this win and it felt amazing to get it with these girls.”
Following Austin’s basket, Martin and Donaldson hit layups to end the period.
Donaldson finished with 12 points and earned the Vandalia Mid-Winter Tournament Most Valuable Player Award afterward.
“That’s what she’s capable of every night; just trying to be more consistent as a junior and know when to step out and shoot and when it’s time to take over inside,” Schafer said.
“I think I played very well, but I think we played more as a team this whole tournament,” Donaldson added.
Beals chipped in 10 points to the victory. Martin had eight. Wolfe joined Austin with four and Olivia Moser had two.
Schafer was very pleased with Moser afterward.
“She’s a great passer. We wanted to get her at the high post and try and get her the basketball and let her distribute,” he said.
The Hearts also defeated Salem, 61-39, and the Lady Wildcats’ junior varsity, 66-20, during the tournament to move to 20-4 on the season.