SPRINGFIELD — Saturday’s boys basketball matchup at Effingham County was tight until the Rebels broke loose.
After trailing 33-32 midway through the third period, Effingham County erupted offensively en route to a 72-48 victory.
“I guess we finally decided to play,” Rebels coach Jake Darling said after the game. “We had some energy come off the bench,”
Darling has seen similar outbursts from his team throughout the season. It frequently alternates between hot streaks and cold spells.
In a 69-56 win over the Mustangs last month, the Rebels fell behind 16-0 in the opening quarter.
“This game is tough. You’ve got to be in the right mind-set,” he said.
The coach thinks the 10-6 Rebels were complacent in the early going against the 3-11 Mustangs.
“It’s hard for high school kids to not look at those records and think ‘We are better than this team’ or ‘We are not as good as this team’ — one way or the other,” Darling said. “I think we underestimated them a little bit and they hit some shots.”

See the Jan. 10 edition of the Effingham Herald for more details.