Nelson hit a short jumper, Kaylee Lurkins scored after grabbing an offensive rebound and Claire Boehm converted a turnover into a pair of free throws to start a 20-4 run and take the lead for good.

When Altamont went to its 1-3-1 zone, it gave St. Anthony problems. The Lady Bulldogs were playing without Nancy Ruholl, who is one of the team’s main ballhandlers and is averaging 26 points per game. She was out due to a concussion she sustained in the previous game against Windsor/Stew-Stras.

SAHS turned the ball over 15 times in the opening half, including 10 in that pivotal second period.

A basket by Stacie Vonderheide and two free throws by Aubrey Denning were the only points the Lady Bulldogs scored in the final 5:49. Meanwhile, the Lady Indians were converting five of those turnovers into layups and widening the lead.

Nelson scored 13 points in the period, all during that decisive 20-4 scoring spree. At intermission, the guests owned a 44-30 advantage.

“When you take a player the caliber of Nancy out of the lineup, it forces you to make adjustments,” Rios noted. “We had players handling the ball a lot more than they normally do. But we didn’t execute very well. We’ll learn from this and grow as a team. And we’ll clean things up the next few days in practice.”

Two quick baskets by Addysen Rios and Vonderheide got St. Anthony within 10 points, but the Lady Indians went on another run. Nelson started the 12-2 scoring spree with a layup following a turnover. After Vonderheide scored for the Lady Bulldogs, Nelson hit a three-pointer, and then Altamont scored three straight baskets following SAHS turnovers.

Peyton Osteen hit a jumper, Nelson scored that memorable basket and followed that with a three-point play to give AHS its first 20-point lead, 56-36, at the 4:25 mark of the third period.

But the Lady Bulldogs refused to quit. Vonderheide scored five straight points and Addie Lauritzen added a bucket to trim the lead to 13. When the quarter was over, the hosts were within 61-47.

With Nelson scoring six more points and Lurkins adding another bucket, the Lady Indians pushed the lead back to 20 at 69-49. But once again, St. Anthony made another surge.

This one was sparked by Denning. After Vonderheide scored, the freshman scored seven straight points, capped by a three-point play, to get the hosts within 69-58, with 3:48 still remaining.

After a free throw by Lurkins, Rios and Denning each scored and the Lady Bulldogs found themselves trailing just by eight, 70-62. But that’s as close as they would get.

“I was really proud of how our girls continued to compete,” Rios said. “There were times in the third and fourth quarter, they could have given up. But they didn’t. That showed me a lot.”

Altamont had three players in double figures. Nelson led the way with 43, while Boehm and Lurkins scored 12 and 10 points respectively. The Lady Indians shot very well, making 28-of-51 attempts overall, a 55 percent clip. They were 4-of-14 from behind the arc and 18-of-23 from the free throw line.

Vonderheide led the Lady Bulldogs with 28 points. Rios scored 12 and Ava Faber and Denning both added 10. St. Anthony shot 43 percent, converting 25-of-58 attempts. They were 3-for-13 from long range and 14-for-21 at the foul line. They finished with 25 turnovers, while Altamont had 23.

“Stacie is a baller,” Rios said. “She’s our leader; the heart of our team. She’s one of the best defenders there is. She is so fundamentally sound and just plays the game.”

The coach was also impressed with the performance of Denning.

“She played a lot this summer,” Rios noted. “I knew she had capabilities. She’s only a freshman, but she’s one of our most confident players. She’s going to be a really good ball player for us.”

The Lady Bulldogs dropped to 7-2 overall and 2-1 in NTC play. They will play another conference game Thursday when they travel to Beecher City to face CHBC.