Stewart hit a jumper and Griffin Sehy added a free throw to get SAHS back within a pair, 40-38. Hise, who had 14 of his game-high 21 points in the final eight minutes, converted yet another turnover into a basket and added three more free throws. McClay added two additional free throws to increase the Knoxville advantage to seven points, 47-40, with just 17 seconds to play.
“This was very disappointing,” Rincker admitted. “I really thought we had gotten beyond some of those mistakes. I guess we’ve still got work to do.”
St. Anthony looked sharp early. Max Koenig knocked down a three-pointer and Collin Westendorf turned in a three-point play to stake the Bulldogs to a 14-8 lead after the first quarter.
Adam Rudibaugh added a bucket to open the second period, giving SAHS its biggest lead of the contest, 16-8. But McClay connected on a three and Braden Downs got a three-point play to get the Blue Bullets back to within three. Back-to-back scores by Koenig and Rudibaugh extended the lead to seven, but Knoxville cut it to three again, 20-17, at intermission.
The lead fluctuated between three and five points most of the third period. A jumper by Westendorf and another three-point play by the sophomore guard gave the Bulldogs that eight-point lead again, but Hise made a long, high-arching three at the buzzer to make 33-28 heading into the final eight minutes.
Only three Knoxville players scored in the contest. In addition to Hise’s 21 points, Downs netted 14 and McClay added 13. The Blue Bullets shot 49 percent, making 13-of-27 attempts. They were 3-of-8 from long range and 19-for-27 from the charity stripe.
The Bulldogs got 13 points from Stewart, who was also named to the all-tournament team, and eight from both Westendorf and freshman Brock Fearday, who got his first varsity start. St. Anthony made 18-of-42 shots overall, a 43 percent clip. They were 2-for-10 from behind the arc and 5-of-6 from the foul line.
The Bulldogs finished the tournament 1-3 and are now 8-8 on the season. They will return to action Tuesday, Jan. 4, at Robinson.
