By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

Winning games at the state tournament is difficult enough at full strength.

With two starters severely limited due to ankle injuries, it simply made that task virtually impossible.

But that’s the situation the St. Anthony Bulldogs found themselves in the last two days.

They didn’t complain or make excuses.

They simply continued playing hard and to the best of their ability.

The trip to Champaign didn’t go as anticipated, but the team brought home more hardware for the school’s trophy case and another reason for Bulldog Nation to be proud.

Peoria Christian used three-point shooting to not let St. Anthony ever pull ahead.

Then free throw shooting late to seal the victory.

And when the final seconds ticked off the clock Friday morning, the Chargers had claimed a 61-51 victory in the third place of the Class 1A State Tournament, played at the State Farm Center in Champaign.

“This is a great group of young men I’ve had the privilege to coach,” said Cody Rincker, now completing his 12th year as coach at SAHS. “They put their best effort into everything they do, just like they have these put two days. They’re competitors and I couldn’t be more proud.”

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

Twice, the St. Anthony Bulldogs began to surge and trim the deficit.

But twice, totally unexpected momentum-changing plays brought that to a screeching halt.

The first was a 90-foot heave.

The second was a turned ankle.

And Chicago Hope was the beneficiary both times.

The Eagles never trailed, led by as many as 23 points and then hung on to post a 56-50 victory in Thursday morning’s opening semifinal game of the Class 1A State Tournament at the State Farm Center in Champaign.

“I told our kids that St. Anthony won’t ever stop playing,” said Chicago Hope coach Ronnie Fields. “They’ll keep coming and playing to the end.”

Which they did.

But it was the beginning of the game that set the tone.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

What a game!

From being in cruise control to nearly out of control, the St. Anthony Bulldogs put their coaches and fan base through a roller coaster of emotions Monday night.

The two all-staters certainly played huge roles, but it was a pair of unlikely heroes that came through at the end and just might have been the difference between going home and surviving to play another day.

And when they do, it will be on the state’s largest and brightest stage.

That’s right! A season of lofty expectations has turned into reality.

The Bulldogs are headed to the state tournament!

But it didn’t come easy.

What was a one-time 17-point lead totally evaporated in the second half. But big-time shots at crucial moments by multiple players helped keep St. Anthony’s postseason run alive.

Three-pointers by Will Fearday and Keenan Griffith gave the Bulldogs a lead and Brock Fearday’s two free throws with just three seconds to play sealed the deal.

And when the scoreboard clock reached 0:00, St. Anthony had a 62-58 overtime victory over Mounds Meridian to capture the Charleston Super Sectional title and clinch a berth in the Class 1A State Tournament..

The Bulldogs, now 32-4, will face Chicago Hope in the first semifinal game Thursday. Tipoff is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. at the State Farm Center in Champaign.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

It was supposed to be a runaway – maybe not even competitive.

This was a team that struggled with offensive consistency and turnovers for almost the entire season.

It was a team forced to play without one of its best players due to injury.

And it was the same team that benefited from missed free throws and a botched dunk to narrowly escape not once, but twice, in the sectional.

But with 4:49 left in Monday night’s game, the team given virtually no chance of winning was within a single point.

“Our kids believed that they belonged here and that they could beat this team,” Teutopolis coach Chet Reeder said. “I couldn’t be prouder of a group of kids.”

Unfortunately, the postseason magic came to an end in those final minutes.

The Belleville Althoff Crusaders went on a game-deciding 13-0 run down the stretch to post a 48-37 victory over the Wooden Shoes and capture the Carbondale Super Sectional.

Althoff, now 31-5 and winners of 17 of its last 18 games, will advance to the Class 2A State Tournament in Champaign. The Crusaders will face Chicago (Christ the King) on Thursday afternoon at the State Farm Center.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

God certainly has more important things to do than worry about the outcome of a basketball game.

But based on the two sectional wins these past four days, the Good Lord just might have spent a little time in Tolono this week.

And he just might have been wearing blue & gold.

Today, eight teams remain in the Class 2A field.

The Teutopolis Wooden Shoes are one of those, thanks to another improbable overtime victory, this time a 37-35 decision over Warrensburg-Latham in the championship game of the Tolono (Unity) Sectional.

For the second straight game, people filed out of the Rocket Center, scratching their head and wondering, “How did they do that?”

Tuesday night, it was a rash of missed free throws that led to the OT win over Monticello.

Friday night, it was a potential game-deciding layup that turned into a botched dunk attempt that resulted in basket interference.

Good fortune? Maybe.

Down right luck? Probably.

Divine intervention? Absolutely.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

Adjustments.

Almost every coach – in virtually every sport – is forced to make them during the course of a game.

There are always game plans. But sometimes, for a myriad of reasons, those just don’t go the way anybody expects.

Such was the case Friday night.

And with his team not only trailing by seven points at halftime, but also being outplayed in other phases of the game, Cody Rincker knew adjustments were necessary.

“We had to change the complexion of the game – both the tempo and the overall vibe,” Rincker explained. “We had to start pressuring them.”

There are no guarantees adjustments will always work.

In this case, however, applying much greater defensive pressure was an overwhelming success.

And guaranteed the St. Anthony Bulldogs will play again.

The Bulldogs utilized their trapping zone defense to force 11 second-half turnovers and took advantage of several of those, turning that deficit into a double-digit victory.

St. Anthony outscored Tuscola 35-12 in the final 16 minutes to pull away for a 56-40 victory in the championship game of the Class 1A Bridgeport (Red Hill) Sectional.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

They say records are meant to be broken.

But some are harder to do than others.

And one that stands for 55 years certainly falls into that category.

Brock Fearday entered Wednesday night’s sectional semifinal just 10 points away from the boys’ all-time scoring record at St. Anthony High School. Mike Wente amassed 1,663 points during his career before graduating in 1970.

“I knew I was getting close to the record; only 10 or 11 points away,” the SAHS senior explained after the game. “But I wasn’t really thinking about that. I just wanted to help the team win.”

As it turns out, he accomplished both.

Fearday broke the record in the third period, pumped in 19 of his game-high 29 points in the second half and helped the Bulldogs post a 68-56 victory over Bluford (Webber) and earn a berth in the championship game of the Class 1A Bridgeport (Red Hill) Sectional.

St. Anthony will now face Tuscola for the sectional title. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. Friday at Red Hill High School.

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