“We just kept turning the ball over, which allowed Quinn to get out in the open court, where he’s almost unstoppable,” Rincker said. “Another killer was the fact we kept fouling. That allowed them to set up their defense. We did a good job getting the ball down the floor, but then we started playing too fast and didn’t take care of the ball.

“But my hat’s off to them,” Rincker added. “They made the plays they needed to make.”

Until those final 3½ minutes, the Bulldogs did everything they could to put them into position to move forward in the postseason. They were patient on offense and made Quinn work very hard for his points.

Stewart scored eight points in the opening eight minutes, helping St. Anthony to a 15-13 lead. Croy then drilled a three-pointer and Rudibaugh grabbed an offensive rebound and scored at the buzzer to give the Bulldogs a 26-22 edge at halftime.

“We wanted to be patient and keep the game in the 40s,” Rincker explained. “I was very pleased with how we were executing.”

And that continued into the second half. Stewart hit a three and scored seven points in the third period, as the Bulldogs lead fluctuated between two and seven points. Heading into the final eight minutes, they were up 38-34.

Croy and Rudibaugh then scored four points apiece, building the nine-point leads, before Tuscola began its rally.

Jalen Quinn, who has committed to Chicago Loyola, was a handful the entire game, finishing with 33 points.

“We knew he would get his, but hoped to contain him a little,” Rincker noted. “We wanted to make him a passer and make the other kids take the shots. But he’s a great player. He’s got great quickness and length.

“It wasn’t an easy 33 points, but it was still 33 points,” Rincker added. “He played like a senior that didn’t want his season to be over.”

Stewart led St. Anthony with 17 points and Croy added 12. The Bulldogs shot 55 percent from the floor, connecting on 21-of-38 attempts. They were 5-for-11 from long range, but just 1-for-7 from the line. They held a 20-17 rebounding advantage, but turned the ball over 17 times, with 10 of those coming in the final eight minutes.

The Bulldogs finished their season at 21-13.

“When we started 0-3 and were 8-8 at one time, if you would have told me then we’d make it to the sectional, I would have taken it,” Rincker said. “But I see a lot of promise in this program. There’s a lot of potential here moving forward.”

Rincker will say goodbye to three seniors – Kyle Stewart, Craig Croy and Colton Fearday.

“Kyle made big play after big play for us this year,” Rincker said. “I can’t say enough about his growth. Craig had an up and down year because of his injury. But I’m proud of his effort and how he came back. And I will miss Colton’s effort and positive attitude. He gave us a lot of valuable minutes this season.”

The Warriors, now 26-6, will play for the sectional championship Friday night. They will face either Macon Meridian or South Central. Those two teams will play tonight (Wednesday) at 7 p.m.