Jan. 21--TEUTOPOLIS -- Nine weeks ago, Laurie Thompson wasn't sure what kind of team she had.
The always-successful Shoes appeared to be in a state of transition.
They were coming off a 24-6 season that ended with a disappointing regional final loss to Vandalia and had to replace six seniors. It was the first time in 18 years Teutopolis didn't win a regional.
"Last year was a tough year," Thompson said. "I had never experienced that before both as a player and as a coach. It was tough, and the girls didn't care for it either."
It all led to zero attention in the preseason AP girls basketball poll, and coach Thompson was OK with that. She was more concerned about replacing the team's leading scorer and developing a bench after it was ravaged by graduation.
"I was very concerned," Thompson said. "I thought our defense would be OK, but offensively I thought we would struggle, and I was concerned about the bench."
Looking back, AP voters and Thompson should have known better.
After all, this is a Teutopolis basketball team. It's part of the same program that's won five state titles (last one in 1995), finished second four times (last one in 2001) and made it to state 14 times (last time in 2008).
"Nobody wants to end the tradition," senior Becky Niebrugge said about having a successful season. "We want to keep the tradition going because that's what we're known for."
So far, so good.
After her preseason worries, Thompson has the Shoes at 18-0 and are ranked No. 2 in Class 2A behind only undefeated Bloomington Central Catholic. Another year and another group of talented basketball players have stepped in.
"I am pleasantly surprised," Thompson said about the start. "I have some kids who have stepped up nicely."
Niebrugge is one of those who answered the challenge.
The senior point guard is guiding an offense that's outscored its opponents by an average of 23 points. Helping that cause has been the emergence of sophomore Jessie Wendt and junior Holly Koester. Wendt leads the team in scoring at 12 a game, Koester is second at nine and Niebrugge is at eight.
"We're all working together in concert," Thompson said. "The team that gets along at the end of the season is usually the most successful. That's what we hope to be."
The Shoes admittedly play a weaker schedule early in the season, but they have started facing tougher competition.
The Shoes won the Charleston Holiday Tournament after handing the host its only loss of the season. The Trojans sit at 19-1 and are No. 7 in this week's Class 3A poll.
T-Town also thumped Class 4A Belleville West 61-44 in the Highland Tournament on Tuesday, and today's game against undefeated Class 3A No. 3 Breese Mater Dei (18-0) will prove a lot.
"I like to see where we're at in a couple weeks and then we can talk about rankings," Thompson said. "I am looking forward to the rest of the season, but I always tell them the season really starts the second week in February."
In the mean time, every time Niebrugge and her teammates step foot in their gym, they are reminded of that past success. Between the banners and trophies from the past 30 years, Thompson and the Shoes have plenty of motivation to return to state in a year that had featured a lot of question marks.
