“I’m confused and a little disheartened by the way this team is a Jeckyll & Hyde,” Rincker admitted. “When you’re playing from behind, you can’t commit silly fouls, miss free throws and not be strong on defense. You can’t be successful playing like that. This team has too much potential to play like we do sometimes.”

When Adam Rudibaugh grabbed an offensive rebound and scored with 2:03 to play in the opening quarter, he pulled the Bulldogs into a 7-7 tie. For the remaining 30 minutes, however, the hosts played from behind.

Cooper Loll, who led all scorers with 20 points, scored seven in the first period, including the final three to put Robinson on top 12-7. The lead got as big as eight points, 18-10, in the second quarter. A three-pointer by Griffin Sehy and two buckets by Rudibaugh helped the Bulldogs get within 21-17 at intermission.

The third quarter followed a similar pattern. A three from Aidan Parker gave the Maroons that eight-point edge again, 31-23. But Collin Westendorf connected from behind the arc and scored five points to get SAHS within 35-30 heading into the final period.

Robinson’s height did play a role. The Maroons have starters that stand 6’5”, 6’6” and 6’6”. That made it difficult to get many good looks, especially inside.

“Their length gave us trouble inside,” Rincker noted. “But they weren’t all 6’6”. We just weren’t willing to be patient enough to wear them down and get good shots. We haven’t shot the ball well outside all year. And when you haven’t proven you’re capable of doing that, teams are going to pack it in against you. That’s exactly what Robinson did.”

The Maroons hit eight consecutive free throws to start the fourth quarter and stretched the lead to 13 points, 43-30. After back-to-back baskets by Loll and Noah Gilmore, the guests had their largest lead of the contest, 47-32, with 3:37 to play.

A minute later, it was still a 14-point margin when the Bulldogs began their comeback.

Max Koenig hit a short jumper to ignite an 8-0 run. St. Anthony also amped up its defensive pressure, which produced immediate results. The Maroons turned the ball over on three straight possessions and the Bulldogs capitalized each time. Brock Fearday and Rudibaugh both hit shots and Sehy added a pair of the free throws to make it 49-43 with one minute still remaining.

The Bulldogs had a chance to get even closer, but missed the front of a bonus on two straight tries. Nate Wernz and Loll both made a pair of foul shots in the final 31 seconds to help Robinson secure the road victory.

“We busted our butts to get back within six,” Rincker said. “I thought we showed a lot of heart and fight, which I liked to see. We just dug ourselves too big of a hole to come back. Cudos to Robinson for doing what they needed to do to come out with the win.”

The Maroons ended with four players in double figures. In addition to Loll’s 20 points, Gilmore scored 11 and both Parker and Wernz added 10.

St. Anthony had just one player in double figures. Rudibaugh finished with 10 points. The Bulldogs shot 46 percent from the floor, connecting on 18-of-39 shots. They were 3-for-11 from long range and just 4-for-10 from the foul line. They were out-rebounded 24-11.

The Bulldogs, now 10-7 on the season, will play at home Saturday against Paris.