Nelson was relentless, scoring 15 points in the final five minutes. The Lady Bulldogs turned the ball over five times and struggled at the free throw line, making only 7-of-15 attempts. But a foul shot by Kabbes and two more by Anna Faber made it an eight-point bulge, 76-68, with just 27 seconds left showing on the clock.
Nelson hit a three and then converted a late turnover into a basket in the last 10 seconds to account for the final three-point margin.
“This was a big win for us,” Rios said. “I’m proud of the girls. They showed grit and determination. They really wanted this win. It might not have been pretty in the second half, but they got it done.”
A change in the starting lineup benefitted the Lady Bulldogs, especially in the first half.
“Normally, we go with four guards and Lucy,” Rios explained. “Tonight, we thought we needed to give Lucy some help inside, so we went with Addi (Nuxoll). We know what Addi is capable of and it was nice to see her settle in.”
That combination of Fearday and Nuxoll inside proved to be dominant in the first half, especially on the offensive boards. The Lady Bulldogs scored 10 times after grabbing an offensive rebound and the Fearday-Nuxoll combination accounted for six of those, which was a key to building the early lead.
After a free throw by Peyton Osteen, the Lady Indians were within 13-11 at the four-minute mark of the opening period. But Nuxoll grabbed a rebound and scored about 90 seconds later to start an 11-0 run that would carry over into the second quarter.
Fearday hit a jumper, freshman Nancy Ruholl drilled a three-pointer and Faber added another score – after yet another offensive rebound – giving the Lady Bulldogs a 22-11 advantage at the end of the period. Stacie Vonderheide hit a shot to open the second quarter to complete the scoring spree and increase the lead to 13 points.
That margin fluctuated between 9 and 12 points until Fearday made a free throw and Nuxoll scored right before the end of the first half to send St. Anthony to the locker room with a 40-25 edge.
“We wanted to dominate the boards,” Rios said. “We wanted to limit their second chance points and also hit the offensive boards hard. We preach offensive rebounding, especially going to the weak side. We did that well and got some easy baskets. As it turned out, those putbacks were necessary.”
The Lady Bulldogs threatened to make it a blowout in the third quarter. Fearday scored four points and Stacie Vonderheide and Ruholl both added buckets and the lead ballooned to 18 points, 48-30. That proved to be enough, despite Nelson tallying 41 in the final 16 minutes.
Nelson connected on 15-of-35 shots overall, including 5-for-12 from behind the arc. She was also 11-for-14 from the foul line.
The Lady Bulldogs had four players in double figures and three turned in double-doubles. Fearday led the way with 19 points and 10 rebounds; while Nuxoll, just a sophomore, scored 14 points and pulled down 12 boards; and Faber had 14 points and 10 rebounds. Ruholl added 13.
St. Anthony shot 43 percent overall, connecting on 29-0f-68 attempts. They were 2-for-8 from long range and 16-for-32 at the free throw line.
The Lady Bulldogs remained undefeated on the season, improving to 9-0 overall and 3-0 in the NTC. For Altamont, it was their first loss. The Lady Indians are now 7-1 overall and 2-1 in league play.
It was also an historic game. Stacey Rios, who is normally the assistant coach, assumed the head coaching responsibilities because her husband, Aaron, was out of town on business. It was the first win in program history by a female coach.
“I’m just the wife filling in,” Stacey said, followed by a big smile. “Without Aaron, I wouldn’t be out here right now. I used to coach at Iowa Wesleyan, but when you have children, sometimes your plans change. Aaron is the one that got me involved again. I’m glad he did.”
The Lady Bulldogs will face another tough NTC challenge Thursday night. They will return home to play Cowden-Herrick/Beecher City. The Lady Bobcats will enter the game with a 6-2 overall mark and are 2-0 in the league.
