St. Anthony also had trouble scoring in the first quarter. The Lady Bulldogs made only 2-of-15 shots in the opening eight minutes and fell behind 12-6. Neoga led by as many as eight points after a bucket by Haylee Campbell, but Riley Guy then started getting hot for SAHS.
The senior guard knocked down 3-of-4 shots, including one from long range, that brought St. Anthony back. A jumper in the lane by Guy, who had 10 points in the quarter, plus a free throw by Lucy Fearday, got the Lady Shoes within 25-23 at intermission.
“We got off to a very slow start,” Rios admitted. “We were moving the ball well and not forcing shots. But there were certainly some hiccups in that first half. If we make just a few of those shots – shots we’ve been making – we might be up as much as 10 points at halftime.”
Neoga was still up two points, 29-27, about 2½ minutes into the second half when the Lady Bulldogs started to take control of the game. Abbi Hatton made a free throw and Grace Karolewicz got a bucket to put St. Anthony ahead, 30-29.
Guy then turned in a three-point play and Vonderheide added a free throw to make it a 7-0 run to close out the quarter and send the Lady Bulldogs into the final eight minutes with a 34-29 advantage.
Sydney Richards and Avery Fearday paced the Neoga scoring attack with 15 and 11 points respectively. The Lady Indians made 15-of-37 shots overall, a 41 percent clip. They were 4-for-12 from behind the arc and 14-for-19 at the foul line. They turned the ball over 16 times and held a 24-18 rebounding advantage, with Campbell pulling down nine boards.
Guy was the only player in double figures for St. Anthony, finishing with a game-high 18 points. The Lady Bulldogs shot just 31 percent, making 15-of-49 attempts. Take away the second quarter and they were an icy 21 percent. They finished 1-for-6 from three-point range and 11-for-20 at the free throw line. They turned the ball over 17 times.
The Lady Bulldogs finished their season at 23-10 – setting the school record for most victories in a single season and reaching the sectional championship game for only the second time in school history.
“I am so proud of this team,” Rios said. “These girls believe in our program and believe in our culture. When I got here, there was one senior, one junior, three sophomores and five freshmen and we’ve built it from there. The girls embraced what we wanted to do and turned the program around.”
Rios will now say goodbye to three seniors – Riley Guy, Grace Karolewicz and Izzy Hakman. Guy is a member of the school’s 1,000-point club.
“I’m sad to be losing these three awesome seniors,” Rios noted. “They have been great contributors to our program and great kids to work with. I hate to see them go. They will be missed.”
Neoga, now 27-7, advances to the Wayne City Super Sectional. The Lady Indians will face a 23-10 Goreville team that beat Christopher 57-53 to win the Sesser-Valier Sectional. That game is set for 7 p.m. Monday. The winner will advance to the Class 1A State Tournament.
