A victory that appeared to be an easy one several times.

The Bulldogs got a pair of three-pointers from Craig Croy and jumped to an 8-0 lead. After North Clay got to within 8-4, Koenig knocked down a three and Kyle Stewart closed the first period with a three-point play to open a 14-4 cushion after the opening eight minutes.

Those six points turned out to be the beginning of a 14-0 run. SAHS got two buckets from Stewart, plus baskets by Sehy and Fearday to give the hosts a 22-4 edge midway through the second quarter. St. Anthony’s pressure defense forced 12 turnovers in the opening 12 minutes, helping the Bulldogs expand their early lead.

But St. Anthony turned the ball over five times in the second quarter and the Cardinals got within 10 points, 24-14, at intermission.

“Our defense helped us get off to the good start,” Rincker said. “But we got carried away. We got casual, a little careless, and they got back in the game. North Clay plays hard. They were tenacious tonight.”

The see-saw affair continued in the third period. The Bulldogs built a 13-point cushion, but the Cardinals scored six straight to get within 28-21. St. Anthony then got five points from both Sehy and Eli Levitt to spark a 12-4 run over the final five minutes and take a 40-25 edge into the fourth quarter.

The Cardinals, who dropped to 1-3 on the season, got a double-double performance from junior Logan Fleener. He scored a game-high 15 points and pulled down 12 rebounds.

The Bulldogs had a balanced scoring attack with three players – Stewart, Sehy and Croy – each scoring 11 points.

“I love that kind of balance,” Rincker said. “That’s when you know a team is playing pretty well. They were moving the ball and the kids were in the right positions on offense. I liked seeing that.”

St. Anthony shot 46 percent overall, making 18-of-39 shots. They were 4-for-13 from three-point range and 15-for-20 from the foul line. They finished with 14 turnovers and were out-rebounded 25-21.

The Bulldogs are now 2-3 on the season and 1-0 in the National Trail Conference. They will play at home again Friday against Sullivan.