After Collyn Ballard opened the fourth quarter with a three-pointer, the Cardinals owned a 37-35 advantage. Craig Croy and Griffin Sehy then turned consecutive North Clay turnovers into baskets to put the Bulldogs back on top. But Alex Boose drilled a shot from long range and the Cardinals were back in front, 40-39, with 3½ minutes to go.

St. Anthony had a chance to regain the lead, but Brock Fearday missed a layup. Dakota Weidner then hit the front end of a bonus after grabbing an offensive rebound to give North Clay a two-point edge, 41-39, with only 1:29 to play.

Just 22 seconds later, Fearday, just a freshman, got open near the top of the key and connected on a three to give St. Anthony a lead it would never relinquish.

“Whether it’s youthful inexperience or just his demeanor, I’m not sure yet,” Rincker said. “After missing that layup, you had to wonder if he’d be shy or tentative. But he came right back, stepped into that three and had that nice, high follow-through. I knew it was in. If he continues that type of mentality during those types of moments, what a lift he will be for us.”

North Clay’s Bryton Griffy took a shot with 41 seconds to go, but it missed. After a scramble for the ball, St. Anthony gained control. The Cardinals were then forced to foul three times before getting St. Anthony into the bonus. Croy went to the line with a 1-and-1 with 19 seconds left and made both to give the Bulldogs a 44-41 edge.

“Craig has been battling an injury and hasn’t totally bounced back from that,” Rincker noted. “But he keeps getting better and better. He likes the big moments, and I was proud of how he stepped up and knocked a couple foul shots down.”

Levi Smith got loose underneath and scored with four seconds to go to close to within one. Brock Fearday was fouled two seconds later. He made the front end of the bonus, but missed the second. All North Clay could do was grab the ball and heave it the length of the floor.

It ended what was a terrific semifinal game.

The Cardinals came out on fire. Their pressure forced three quick St. Anthony turnovers and North Clay hit its first four shots to race to an 8-0 lead just two minutes into the game. Croy then hit a jumper to get SAHS on the board and Kyle Stewart followed with a bucket and then a three-point play to get the Bulldogs within 8-7.

Back-to-back threes by Logan Fleener and Boose expanded the Cardinals lead to 14-7 and they still led 14-9 at the end of the first period.

Fleener hit another three and scored seven points for North Clay, but Croy and Max Koenig connected from behind the arc to tie the game at 21-21. A free throw by Ballard sent the Cardinals to the locker room with a slim 22-21 edge at intermission.

“That first half was an uphill grind for us,” Rincker said. “It took a lot of grit and determination for us to get back to even.”

The Bulldogs opened the second half with a 7-2 run, capped by Griffin Sehy’s three-pointer, to go up 28-24. They had two more possessions to increase the lead even further, but were unable to connect. After that, the largest lead for either team in the final 13½ minutes was three points.

“I was very pleased with how we came out in the third period,” Rincker noted. “We were a possession or two away from going on top six, maybe eight points. In this type of game, that would have been a lot.”

Fleener had eight more points in the third quarter and put the Cardinals on top, 34-33, but Stewart scored after grabbing an offensive rebound to send the Bulldogs into the final eight minutes with a narrow one-point advantage, 35-34.

North Clay’s relentless pressure forced St. Anthony into 12 turnovers.

“I felt like we were playing a Ron Reed-type team,” Rincker said, referring to North Clay’s former long-time coach. “That was the type of trapping pressure he always liked to bring. North Clay is very athletic, got in the passing lanes and really came after us. We definitely struggled with that.”

The St. Anthony coach also knew he had to focus on Fleener more in the second. The North Clay junior had 14 of his game-high 22 points in the opening half.

“We went to a box-and-one and tried to limit his touches,” Rincker explained. “He still got eight more points in the third period, but then we finally shut him down in the fourth quarter. I thought Griffin really stepped up his defense.”

Stewart led the Bulldogs with 14 points and Croy also reached double figures with 11. St. Anthony shot 42 percent overall, connecting on 18-of-43 attempts. They were 4-for-14 from three-point range and 5-for-7 from the foul line. They held a 20-16 rebounding advantage.

The Cardinals made 17-of-40 shots, a 43 percent clip. They were 5-for-9 from long range and 4-for-8 from the foul stripe. They also turned the ball over 12 times.

North Clay, now 9-13 on the season, will face either Altamont or Windsor/Stew-Straws in the third place game. That contest will be played at approximately 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

The Bulldogs improved to 14-10 on the season and will look to extend their dominance in this tournament over the past five years.

“We try not to get caught up in all of that,” Rincker said. “We’re going to enjoy tonight and then move on. I think the success we’ve had recently in this tournament is a testament to our boys’ dedication and willingness to get better. They continue to work, listen, learn and be coachable.”