The game was close throughout.

All three of Guy’s baskets from long range in the first quarter came in the final four minutes. That helped reverse a 9-5 deficit into a 16-11 lead after the first eight minutes.

The Lady Bulldogs went cold in the second quarter, however. They missed all 11 of their field goal attempts, managing just three free throws. Armstrong scored six points and helped Tri-County tie the game at 19-19 at intermission.

Coach Rios knew he had to make some adjustments at halftime and they proved successful.

“We had to get the ball inside to Lucy (Fearday),” he said. “We were able to spread things out a little and that opened things up for her.”

The junior post player took advantage. She scored eight points in the third period to help SAHS take the lead. Anna Faber added two more jumpers as the Lady Bulldogs led by as many as six and took a 35-31 edge into the final quarter.

A three-point play by Kenzie Hales and a bucket by Dudley following a St. Anthony turnover gave Tri-County its final lead of the game, 38-37. Fearday then scored three points for SAHS and Dudley added another bucket for the Lady Titans to forge the 40-40 tie and set the stage for the final 3½ minutes.

“I thought we did a really good job of handling everything they threw at us,” Rios said. “They ran that 1-3-1 at us, but Riley knocked down a couple of shots and then Lucy took over inside. But it was all about the team tonight. Every single player contributed in some way. I couldn’t be happier.”

Dudley scored a game-high 21 points for Tri-County, which ended its fine season with a 27-4 mark. The Lady Titans shot 36 percent overall, connecting on 16-of-45 shots. They were 2-for-13 from behind the arc and 11-for-16 from the free throw line. They turned the ball over 18 times.

Fearday scored 20 points and Guy finished with 17 to lead the St. Anthony scoring attack, while Karolewicz added nine. The Lady Bulldogs made 16-of-49 shots, a 33 percent clip. They were 4-for-9 from three-point range and 17-for-25 from the foul line. They turned the ball over 17 times and held a 31-28 edge on the boards. Abbi Hatton pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds.

St. Anthony will now face Neoga for the third time this season. The two teams have split those contests. The Lady Bulldogs beat the Lady Indians 60-49 during the regular season game, but dropped a 44-31 decision in the NTC Tournament.

St. Anthony is now 23-9, while Neoga is 26-7.

“This shows just how tough our league is,” Rios said. “It’s great to see the NTC teams doing so well.”

Tipoff will be at 7 p.m. Thursday in Tuscola.