Kaidyn Calame connected on a pair of shots from behind the arc, and Wyatt Rueff and AJ Radloff each added a bucket from three-point range for the Bobcats. CHBC made 8-of-10 shots in the quarter, including all four attempts from long range, and outscored St. Anthony 24-21.
It was still a 20-point cushion at intermission – 53-33 --but Rincker was not pleased.
“We really lost focus and did not execute defensively in that second quarter,” he said. “I wasn’t happy with our half-court defense at all and we talked about that. I thought we did a much better job in the second half.”
The Bulldogs were stingier on defense and much more patient on offense in the second half. They worked the ball very well, resulting in excellent shots and they capitalized, making 11-of-13 attempts in the final two periods.
“We also talked about being more disciplined at halftime,” Rincker explained. “We let our offense work and got good shots. I think I need to do a better job of giving them a target and a goal. I need to keep this group motivated.”
Brock Fearday made a three and scored seven points in the third quarter, helping the Bulldogs outscore CHBC 18-8 and build a 30-point lead, 71-41, entering the fourth period. That resulted in a continuously running clock for the final eight minutes.
The Bobcats had three players reach double figures. Calame and Clayton Wojcik both scored 12 points and Rueff added 10. They shot 48 percent overall, making 15-of-31 attempts. They were 6-for-11 from three-point range and 10-of-18 from the foul line. CHBC finished with 18 turnovers.
Schmidt finished with a game-high 23 points to pace the Bulldogs. Brock Fearday scored 16 and Collin Westendorf added 14. St. Anthony shot a red hot 64 percent from the floor, making 28-of-44 attempts. They were 8-for-11 from long range and 17-for-21 at the free throw line. They only turned the ball over nine times.
The Bulldogs improved to 5-2 on the season and 2-0 in the NTC. They will play another league game Friday night when they hit the road to face St. Elmo/Brownstown (SEB).
“To me, every NTC game is a championship game,” Rincker said. “I don’t remember the last time an NTC team won the title after losing a game. The champion is almost always undefeated. So, I view each of these conference games as championship games.”