Brock Fearday then scored five straight points for St. Anthony, but the Crusaders responded with two baskets to knot the score at 44-44 with 2:46 remaining.

A pair of free throws by Koenig put the Bulldogs back on top, 48-46, but Spiller, again, connected from long range, helping the Crusaders regain a slim 49-48 edge with 1:04 still left.

That set the stage for Koenig’s big shot from behind the arc. After a missed shot by Lutheran North, Koenig was fouled and converted both foul shots to make it 53-49 with 23 ticks still showing. Two more free throws by Michael Martelli with just six seconds to play accounted for the final six-point margin.

In those final eight minutes, the Bulldogs connected on their first five shots from the floor and then went 8-for-8 from the foul stripe.

“I thought we really settled in during that fourth period,” Rincker noted. “We did a great job of taking the shots we wanted; not ones we were forced into.”

Lutheran North’s defensive quickness and pressure caused problems throughout the contest. But the Bulldogs managed to hit enough shots to stay close. The Crusaders led 8-5 after the first eight minutes and 23-19 at intermission.

After consecutive baskets by Spiller, who finished with 18 points, the Crusaders led 32-26 at the three-minute mark of the third quarter. That was their largest lead of the game. Two baskets by Ryan Schmidt and a three-point play by Fearday helped the Bulldogs close to within 35-33 heading into the fourth quarter.

“You can’t emulate that type of quickness in practice,” Rincker explained. “So, we worked on schemes that would help us be successful. When they went to their 1-2-2 zone press late in the game, I thought we handled it well.”

Fearday led St. Anthony with 19 points, 15 of which came in the second half; and Koenig added 14, with nine of those coming in the final period. The Bulldogs connected on 18-of-39 shots overall, a 46 percent clip. They were 4-for-12 from behind the arc and 15-for-17 at the foul line. They turned the ball over 16 times.

“I am very pleased with our effort,” Rincker said. “Even if we had come up short, I would have been pleased. I felt like we competed, kept our composure and eventually took advantage of the opportunities we had.”

The Bulldogs improved to 9-4 overall. They will play two games on Thursday – both at J.H. Griffin Gymnasium. They will first face Oak Lawn at noon. The winner of that game will play either Chicago Brooks or T-Town at 7:30 p.m. The losers in those two contests will play at 6 p.m.