“It looked like a first game,” SAHS coach Cody Rincker said. “There was very little flow to the game. Once we calmed down, settled in and started sharing the ball, we looked better. In fact, in spots, we looked pretty darn good.”

The St. Anthony lead ballooned to 20 points, 32-12, midway through the second period and then Rantoul made a run. DJ Davis and Justin Merrill both knocked down three-pointers and Davis converted a St. Anthony turnover into a layup to complete an 8-0 surge and get the Eagles to within 32-20.

But Will Fearday connected from long range and added another short jumper, and Henry Brent made a free throw, as the Bulldogs scored the final six points of the first half to take a 38-20 advantage to the locker room.

“I thought our press was a bright spot,” Rincker noted. “I thought our length and depth caused them problems. It sped them up and created some turnovers. It added another dimension to the game.

“But we’ve got to guard in the halfcourt better,” the coach added. “Teams are going to break our press, and when they do, we’ve got to guard. Our halfcourt defense has been a staple of our program. I thought we gave up too many drives to the basket. But we’ll get there. We just need to dial in and improve.”

The Eagles never got closer than 20 points the entire second half. And after Schmidt hit three straight shots from behind the arc, and Sam Link, Koenig and Westendorf each added baskets, the Bulldogs lead surged to as many as 34 points, 57-23.

Schmidt finished with a game-high 21 points to lead St. Anthony. Fearday and Koenig were also in double figures, scoring 14 and 10 points respectively. Rincker played 11 kids in the game and 10 of them got into the scoring column.

“We have a lot of depth,” Rincker said. “At first, they were a little gun shy. But once they calmed down, they gave us a big lift.”

The Bulldogs shot 52 percent from the floor, connecting on 28-of-54 attempts. They were 5-for-13 from three-point range and 12-of-23 from the foul line. They owned a 22-17 rebounding advantage and forced 27 turnovers.

St. Anthony will return to action Wednesday, facing Belleville East at 8 p.m. The Bulldogs will be without one, possibly two, of their starters. Koenig was ejected from the game in the second half, meaning he will be forced to sit out one game. And Schmidt went down with an ankle injury midway through the fourth quarter. His status is unknown.

“I know it was just the first game, but I’m encouraged with where we are and where we could get to,” Rincker said. “We’ve got a long way to go. We just have to keep working.”

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In Monday night’s first game, Breese Central defeated Champaign Central, 66-41.

Tuesday night’s schedule will include Belleville East playing Effingham at 5 p.m.; Champaign Central against Robinson at 6:30 p.m.; and Mattoon vs. Breese Central at 8 p.m.