Published on February 11, 2026 6:46 am
Last Updated on February 11, 2026 7:05 am
BY MILLIE LANGE
The game went overtime and Effingham High School saw its hopes for a win go by the wayside as Highland edged the Hearts 58-57 Tuesday evening in a game heard on 979XFM.
The two teams played to a 9-9 opening quarter tie before Highland moved into an 18-14 halftime lead.
Then came the third quarter where Effingham came back with a 20-16 run to tie the score at 34-34 going into the final quarter. Cannon Bockhorn put in three regular baskets and a three-pointer while Jenner Pals added four points and Dagg Thompson connected on a three-pointer.
The two teams played to a 13-13 final period. Jake Niebrugge scored four points and Thompson three for the Hearts.
In the overtime period, Highland’s Kyler Koerkenmeier nailed a three-pointer and a regular basket and Scholl put in four of four at the line for the victory.
Effingham had three players hit double figures. Bockhorn finished with seven field goals, two from three-point range, for 16 points while Thompson added 11 and Cole Phillips 10.
The Hearts dropped to 10-17 on the season while Highland improved to 8-16.
Effingham won the junior varsity contest, 69-61. EHS trailed Highland 34-31 at halftime but caem back with a 20-10 third quarter run.
Leading the Hearts were Jude Traub with 17, Ian Kinkelaar with 16 and Dagg Thompson nad Maxwell Love with 12 each.
At Effingham
Overtime
HIGHLAND (58)
Powell 3-0 — 6, Koerkenmeier 4-0 — 11, Cunningham 1-0 — 3, Gutzler 1-0 — 2, Goziar 2-2 — 6, Scholl 3-7 — 14, Bellam 6-2 — 14, Kronk 1-0 — 2. TOTALS 21 FG, 11 FT.
EFFINGHAM (57)
McDaniel 1-0 — 2, Niebrugge 3-1 — 7, Bockhorn 7-0 — 16, Pals 3-2 — 9, Wendling 0-0 — 0, Thompson 4-2 — 11, Buzzard 0-0 — 0, Traub 0-0 — 0, Phillips 5-0 — 10, Love 1-0 — 2. TOTALS 24 FG, 5 FT.
Highland 9 9 16 13 11 — 58
Effingham 9 5 20 13 10 — 57
3-point FG — Highland 5 (Koerkenmeier 3, Cuningham 1, Scholl 1), Effingham 4 (Bockhorn 2, Pals 1, Thompson 1).
Junior Varsity Game
Highland 16 18 10 17 — 61
Effingham 17 14 20 18 — 69
Highland — Holthaus 11, Duft 5, Hadowsky 2, Kronk 28, James 2, Lewis 0, Thomas 4, Stone 7, Jansen 2
Effingham — Rohr 2, Kinkelaar 16, Moon 0, Thompson 12, Westjohn 0, Traub 17, Flack 2, Wendt 0, Love 12, warner 8
At Farina
Effingham St. Anthony ran out to a 26-7 opening quarter lead and never looked back in a 72-33 win over South Central as two National Trail Conference teams met Tuesday evening.
The Bulldogs’ Miles Waldhoff hit two regular baskets and a three-pointer for seven while Jonny Gannaway also scored seven with a regular basket, a three-pointer and two free throws. Keenan Griffith chipped in with six.
The lead went to 37-14 at halftime. The Bulldogs then put on another run in the third quarter with a 22-10 tally. Griffith, Gannaway and Connor Storm hit four points each and the Bulldogs finished out with a 13-9 final quarter.
Four players scored in double figures for St. Anthony. Waldhoff hit four field goals, one a three-pointer, and was four of six at the line for 13 while Gannaway connected on five field goals, one a three-pointer and was two of two at the line also for 13. Storm and Griffith finished with 10 each.
The Cougars were led by Westin Neilson with 19 points on six field goals, four from beyond the arc, and three of four at the line.
In junior varsity play, St. Anthony was a 59-10 winner. The Bulldogs were led by Will Vonderheide with 13 and Connor Storm with 10.
South Central was led by Reese Yates with six.
At Farina
ST. ANTHONY (72)
Verdeyen 1-1 — 3, Waldhoff 4-4 — 13, Vonderheide 0-0 — 0, Storm 5-0 — 10, Sehy 2-0 — 5, Lauritzen 2-0 — 4, Mayer 0-0 — 0, Jansen 2-2 — 6, Griffith 3-2 — 10, Gannaway 5-2 — 13, M. Storm 0-0 — 0, Looman 4-0 — 8. TOTALS 28 FG, 11 FT.
SOUTH CENTRAL (33)
Hoover 1-3 — 6, Gillespie 0-0 — 0, Hiestand 0-2 — 2, Sigrist 3-0 — 6, Neilson 6-3 — 19, Strobel 0-0 — 0. TOTALS 10 FG, 8 FT.
St. Anthony 26 11 22 13 — 72
South Central 7 7 10 9 — 33
3-point FG — St. Anthony 5 (Griffith 2, Waldhoff 1, Sehy 1, Gannaway 1), South Central 5 (Neilson 4, Hoover 1)
Junior Varsity Game
St. Anthony 17 17 15 10 — 59
South Central 6 2 2 0 — 10
St. Anthony — Vonderheide 13, C. Storm 10, Bloemer 7, Bierman 2, Gowin 7, Sehy 3, Tingley 0, Mayer 4, Wagner 0, McAllaster 2, M. Storm 4, Looman 7
South Central — Strobel 2, Lotz 0, McDowell 0, Yates 6, Beal 0, Torkstein 0, Gurrettaz 0, Sheppard 0, Hiestand 2