It was 6-6 after the first eight minutes. Two free throws by Mason Robinson to open the second quarter gave the Indians an 8-6 advantage, but it was their final lead of the game. Stewart scored on consecutive possessions and Craig Croy converted an Altamont turnover into a bucket to put the Bulldogs on top 12-8. They never trailed again.

A three-pointer by Max Koenig pushed the lead to 15-9, but the Indians responded with a 6-0 run that included a three-pointer by Avery Jahraus and a tying basket from Mason Winn. But the Bulldogs closed out the opening half on a 7-1 surge that gave them a 22-16 advantage at intermission.

“Anytime you play Altamont, you just know it’s going to be fight,” Rincker noted. “They are going to keep coming at you and coming at you. John (Niebrugge) has done a tremendous job developing that culture within his program. It’s like being in a boxing match. If you’re not ready, you’ll get knocked down. I thought we were ready tonight.”

It looked like the Bulldogs would build the lead to double-digits midway through the third period. Stewart turned in a three-point play to make it 29-21 and had a chance to make it a 10-point gap, but missed a pair of foul shots. Altamont then got four straight points from Will Schultz and were within five points, 33-28, heading into the final eight minutes.

Robinson, the NTC Tournament MVP, tried to rally the Indians. He scored four quick points to get Altamont within four, 36-32. Stewart then drilled a three from the corner and Croy added a free throw to expand the margin to eight, 40-32, but the Indians wouldn’t go away.

Every time St. Anthony would score, Altamont answered. Eric Kollman, Winn and Robinson each had baskets to keep it a six-point deficit, but Croy scored after grabbing an offensive rebound and Brock Fearday hit a free throw to make 47-38. Kollman scored 10 seconds later to cut the lead to seven, but those were the final points the Indians scored.

“You’re always concerned when you’re playing Altamont, even when you have a lead,” Rincker said. “Robinson and (Noah) Kimpel can always seem to get baskets. I thought we did a good job of staying on our feet and keeping between them and the basket. I thought we forced them into some tough shots.”

Taking care of the basketball was also a key for St. Anthony. After turning the ball over 16 times in the earlier meeting, the Bulldogs were guilty of just nine Tuesday night.

“The last couple weeks we’ve been emphasizing being tougher,” Rincker noted. “Winning the 50-50 plays and taking care of the basketball are some of the ways to do that. I think this shows some of our growth. We kept our poise and didn’t let their pressure rattle us. Plus, it gave us some added possessions.”

The Indians dipped to 23-6 overall on the season and finished 6-2 in the NTC. Robinson led them with nine points and also pulled down a game-high seven rebounds.

Stewart and Croy led the way for St. Anthony, finishing with 20 and 14 points respectively. The Bulldogs shot 47 percent overall, connecting on 18-of-38 attempts. They were 4-for-12 from behind the arc and 13-for-21 at the foul line.

The Bulldogs are now 17-12 on the season overall and finished 8-0 in the conference. They will play their regular season finale Friday night at Casey-Westfield and then open regional play at home Saturday against Mulberry Grove. That game will start at 6 p.m. at The Enlow Center.

“I think we are finally on the right trajectory,” Rincker said. “It takes a while. We took some lumps this year, but we’ve continued to work and plug away to find that success. I like the direction we’re headed right now.”