After a three-pointer by Clayton Wojcik, the Bobcats were within 11-7 four-and-a-half minutes into the game. But the red-hot shooting Bulldogs quickly expanded that lead. Fearday ignited a 14-2 run with a shot from behind the arc. The junior added two more from long range, helping SAHS build a 25-9 lead by the end of the quarter.

The Bulldogs made 9-of-10 shots in the opening eight minutes, including all six from three-point range. Ryan Schmidt made it 7-for-7 in the second period as St. Anthony expanded the lead to 20 points, 30-10.

The Bulldogs went on two scoring runs in that quarter. A 9-0 surge made it 34-10. Later, a 10-0 spree increased the margin to 32 points, 44-12. It was still a 32-point spread at halftime, 46-14.

“Our threes came within the flow of our offense, which I like to see,” Rincker noted. “Our percentage for threes is pretty good this year. I always like pounding the ball inside, but I’m receptive to early threes if we’re passing the ball well and hitting the offensive boards. There weren’t many rebounds to get in that first half.”

SAHS shot a blistering 72 percent in the opening half, making 18-of-25 shots overall. They were 7-for-8 from long range.

The Bulldogs knocked down four more three-pointers in the third quarter as the lead ballooned to 36 points, 68-32. That resulted in a continuously running clock in the final period.

Defensively, St. Anthony forced the Bobcats into 21 turnovers. Eleven of those came in the second period and the Bulldogs converted six of those into baskets.

“Overall, I was pleased with our defense,” Rincker said. “My hat’s off to CHBC. I thought they did a pretty good job handling our full-court pressure. But we did better in the half-court. I thought we buckled down and caused them some problems.”

Wojcik finished with 16 points for CHBC, which dipped to 10-12 on the season. The Bobcats shot 45 percent, making 14-of-31 attempts. They were 2-for-8 from long range and 2-for-4 from the foul line. They will now face North Clay at 6:30 tonight (Thursday).

Fearday and Schmidt both scored 17 points and Collin Westendorf added 16 to pace SAHS. The Bulldogs ended 27-for-47 from the floor, a 57 percent clip. They were 13-for-21 from behind the arc and 9-for-14 at the foul line. They owned a 20-12 rebounding edge, with Brady Hatton pulling down a game-high eight.

Rincker was proud of Fearday’s accomplishment.

“I think he has done a good job of asserting himself as a scorer, but doing so in the flow of the offense,” the St. Anthony coach explained. “He’s done that ever since he cracked the starting lineup around Christmas time his freshman year. I’m most pleased with how he hasn’t let scoring change the way he plays the game. He wants to win more than he wants to score. He’s all about winning as a team.”

The Bulldogs improved to 21-4 on the season. They will be in action tonight (Thursday), facing Brownstown/St. Elmo in a semifinal game at approximately 8 p.m.

“You always feel the bullseye as the No. 1 seed, but the boys did a good job handling that tonight,” Rincker said. “The games will just get tougher now. The boys will have to be ready to play.”