Rincker knew they had to control Sam Bradbury, Mattoon’s 6’8” post player.

“We had to keep the ball out of his hands, box him out and keep him off the boards,” Rincker explained. “I thought Kyle Stewart and Craig Croy did a fantastic job doing that. Except for the third quarter (Bradbury scored 6 of his 14 points), he wasn’t a huge factor. Our goal was to make it difficult for him. He was our No. 1 target. Sam getting just one rebound tells you the job Kyle and Craig did on him.”

Stewart and Croy are also the team’s two leading scorers. Rincker did not expect them to be held to five points total. But with every good team, when those challenges arise, somebody has to step up.

And Saturday, it was two “somebodies” -- a pair of sophomores off the bench.

Adam Rudibaugh and Collin Westendorf combined to score 23 points. And Westendorf’s two buckets – the second one a three-pointer from the corner at the end of the third period – were arguably the two biggest shots of the game for the Bulldogs.

They turned a one-point deficit into a 38-34 lead and helped SAHS regain the momentum heading into the final eight minutes.

“Collin has been on the fringe of our rotation all year long,” Rincker said. “He’s ridden that sophomore rollercoaster and has been in and out of the rotation. But he hasn’t gotten frustrated and stayed the course. Today, he was ready to play and gave us a big lift off the bench. He was the huge x-factor.”

Rudibaugh has seen a considerable amount of playing time this year after transferring.

“He was new to our school and new to our system,” Rincker noted. “He just keeps playing. He’s got a great attitude and he loves to play basketball. He really came through for us today. He makes us a better team.”

The Bulldogs used a dominating second quarter to build their seemingly comfortable halftime lead. Westendorf knocked down a three and scored five points, while Rudibaugh added four, helping the Bulldogs go on a 17-2 run to build a 27-11 cushion. Mattoon was 0-for-11 in the quarter. It’s only two points came on a pair of foul shots by Bradbury.

“At halftime, I told the kids not to get comfortable,” Rincker said. “I knew this game wasn’t over. Mattoon missed several decent shots in that second quarter. It could have easily been much closer than 16 points.”

And it very quickly was.

The Green Wave responded by making their first 10 shots in the third period. Cooper Bergstrom, Jaylen Middleton and Blaine Powers each connected from long range and Bradbury hit three short jumpers to spark a 16-0 run to open the second half and knot the score at 27-27.

Finally, 5½ minutes in, Griffin Seehy snapped St. Anthony’s 0-for-7 start with a three-pointer. Sehy hit another three about a minute later, but back-to-back scores by Bergstrom and Powers gave Mattoon its final lead of the game, 34-33.

That’s when Westendorf hit his two clutch shots to start the winning surge for the Bulldogs.

Westendorf then opened the final quarter with another three to make it a seven-point bulge. Mattoon got within three when Sehy drained another from behind the arc. Then Bradbury scored his only two points of the period with two free throws, making it 44-40.

The Bulldogs were able to run time off the clock before the Green Wave began to foul. In the final 38 seconds, Brock Fearday, Stewart and Rudibaugh each made a pair of foul shots to expand the lead and secure the victory.

Sehy, who finished with five three-pointers, led all scorers with 15 points, while Westendorf scored 13 and Rudibaugh added 10. Bradbury led Mattoon with 14 points.

The Bulldogs made 15-of-36 shots, a 42 percent clip. They were 8-for-15 from long range and 12-of-16 from the free throw line. They also held a 20-17 rebounding edge over a taller Mattoon squad.

The Bulldogs are now 16-12 on the season overall and set for the showdown Tuesday night against Altamont. The Bulldogs are undefeated in the National Trail Conference and the Indians have just one loss. The game Tuesday at The Enlow Center will determine if St. Anthony is the outright champion or will share the title with their rivals from Altamont.

“Our game with Altamont will probably be a lot like our game today,” Rincker said. “It’s going to be tough. Altamont is a very good team. But today’s win shows us we can win games like that. It should be fun.”