A pair of three-pointers by Tuscola’s Ella Boyer put her team ahead 6-4 two minutes into the contest. But a three by Nancy Ruholl gave the Lady Bulldogs a lead they never relinquished. Stacie Vonderheide scored six points and Addy Rios connected on a shot from long range, helping SAHS close out the opening period on an 11-3 run to build an 18-10 lead.

It was still an eight-point margin at halftime, 27-19, but the Lady Bulldogs began to pull away in the third period. Anna Faber drilled a three and scored seven points, Lucy Fearday added two baskets and Ruholl connected from long range again at the 1:12 mark, giving St. Anthony a 20-point cushion, 45-25.

Ella Boyer scored the last five points of the third period for the Lady Warriors to close the gap to 15 points, but it never got closer than that the rest of the way. Vonderheide hit a jumper and then turned in a three-point play in the opening 90 seconds of the fourth quarter to re-establish the 20-point lead. The Lady Bulldogs hit 8-of-11 free throws down the stretch to maintain the comfortable lead.

“We’re coming around at the right time,” Rios noted. “Tuscola is a great ball club with a great coach. But we’ve got a group of girls that come every day ready to play hard and compete. I am very pleased with where we’re at. This is a tough and tenacious group.”

Boyer finished with 17 points for Tuscola, which is now 29-1 on the season. The Lady Warriors were only 10-for-40 from the floor, a cool 25 percent clip. They were 3-for-13 from behind the arc and 14-for-23 at the foul line.

Vonderheide and Fearday led the St. Anthony scoring attack with 19 and 14 points respectively, and Ruholl added 10. The Lady Bulldogs shot 52 percent, connecting on 22-of-42 attempts. They were 5-for-9 from long range and 8-for-13 at the line. They held a commanding 29-16 rebounding advantage, with Fearday pulling down 11, giving her a double-double.

“When we get her isolated inside, she knows how to create and make things happen,” Rios said. “Lucy is a multi-faceted and versatile player that really makes things difficult for the opposing team. She has worked so hard on her game. I’m really proud of her.

“Stacie has been playing very well, too,” Rios added. “Tonight, she had 19 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. That’s a girl that can play basketball. She is a big key to our success.”

The Lady Bulldogs, who were ranked No. 9 in AP’s latest Class 1A poll, improved to 24-5 on the season and 8-1 at the Enlow Center. They will play their regular-season finale at home Thursday night against Newton. It will be Senior Night.