“For us, this tournament is always a big deal,” St. Anthony coach Cody Rincker said. “This is a special place and a special tournament. The atmosphere and the pressure help us prepare for the postseason.

“This is a great feeling for both me and the boys,” Rincker added. “Our juniors and seniors were part of this tournament the last two years, but they came here this year and got over the hump. I’m just so happy for the boys.”

It was a terrific game -- a championship effort from everyone involved. Both teams left it all on the court.

But the night belonged to Ryan Schmidt. He was simply unstoppable. If left open, he knocked shots down from three-point range. If guarded closely, he was able to attack the basket. And when fouled, especially in the fourth quarter, he was deadly from the foul line.

He must really like shooting at Altamont High School.

“Actually, I don’t like shooting in that gym. Not one bit,” Schmidt admitted. “But we play several games here, so I knew I just had to get used to it. I guess I’m feeling a little more comfortable now with my shots here.”

That just might be one of the all-time understatements.

“I hit my first couple shots tonight and they felt good,” Schmidt said. “The rim just looked bigger and bigger. My teammates kept getting me the ball and it felt like every shot was going in. They’ve had my back in games I haven’t shot well. Tonight was my turn. It was just one of those nights.”

Yes, it was. And it was like that from the beginning.

Schmidt scored his team’s first nine points. With the game tied 9-9, Caleb Gephart and Tanner Will both made a pair of free throws to put the Movin’ Maroons on top, 13-9. Dieterich’s offensive attack resulted in several first-period fouls and the Maroons capitalized by making 9-of-10 foul shots.

But the Bulldogs closed the quarter on a 7-2 run, including a long three by Schmidt from the top of the key at the buzzer to put SAHS ahead, 16-15.

Even though the game was close the rest of the way, St. Anthony never trailed again after that shot.

“Ryan’s ability to shoot the basketball has been there from Day One when he walked into our gym,” Rincker explained. “But his dedication to continue working hard on his game is what allowed him to score like he did tonight. And it all came within the flow of the game. When the ball came to him, he was ready to shoot. I’m proud of him. He had a heckuva game.”

And it didn’t stop after the opening eight minutes.

He hit three more shots in the second quarter, including another from long range, that gave the Bulldogs a five-point edge, 28-23. Gephart hit a pair of threes for Dieterich, but Collin Westendorf also connected on a shot from behind the arc and scored six points, helping St. Anthony take a 34-28 lead to the locker room at intermission.

Schmidt finished the first half 8-for-8 and had 19 points.

“In that first quarter, I thought we came out a little over-zealous and kept putting ourselves in a position to foul,” Rincker said. “But Ryan and Collin hit a couple shots and that helped calm us down.”

The Bulldogs threatened to pull away in the third quarter. Schmidt and Max Koenig hit jumpers in the first 90 seconds to give the tournament’s No. 1 seed its first double-digit lead, 38-28. A three and another short jumper by Schmidt, followed by a basket by Koenig after a Dieterich turnover, and it was a 12-point margin, 45-33, at the 4:44 mark.

But the Movin’ Maroons proved why they are also ranked in the Class 1A poll. Lucas Westendorf scored six points in the final four minutes and Jaxon Funneman added two more baskets, including one in the final seconds, that got Dieterich to within 48-43 heading into the final quarter.

A three-pointer by Gephart closed the gap to two, 50-48, but the Bulldogs responded immediately. Schmidt converted a three-point play, Brock Fearday converted a turnover into a layup, Collin Westendorf made a couple free throws and Fearday scored again to cap a 12-2 run and increase the lead back to double-digits, 52-40, with 3:09 left.

But, again, the Maroon came storming back. Their defensive pressure forced the Bulldogs to turn the ball over on four straight possessions and Dieterich capitalized on three of those. Funneman scored twice and Landen Keck added another bucket to trim the gap to 62-56 with still 1:37 to go.

Dieterich had a chance to get even closer, but a turnover resulted in a foul and a technical foul. Schmidt converted all four free throws to make it 66-56. St. Anthony converted 8-of-10 free throws in the final minute to secure the victory and the tournament championship.

“Credit Dieterich,” Rincker said. “They never gave up. We’re going to have to work on handling pressure. We had too many turnovers in that fourth quarter. Some of that was due to their pressure. Some of that was due to our sloppiness. But we still made enough plays to win.”

The Movin’ Maroons had four players in double figures. Gephart led the way with 15 points, while Keck scored 14, Lucas Westendorf 11 and Funneman 10. Overall, they shot 53 percent from the floor, connecting on 21-of-40 attempts. They were 7-for-20 from long range and 11-for-16 at the foul line. They committed 17 turnovers.

Keck, Lucas Westendorf and Gephart was all named to the all-tournament team.

Dieterich, who was the No. 3 seed in the tourney, had its five-game winning streak snapped and dipped to 16-6 on the year.

Schmidt was St. Anthony’s only player in double figures with 36. The Bulldogs shot a blistering 60 percent, making 25-of-42 attempts overall. They were 5-for-12 from behind the arc and 15-of-21 from the line. Fearday and Hatton both pulled down six rebounds and SAHS turned the ball over 15 times, including six in the fourth quarter.

In addition to Schmidt, Collin Westendorf and Fearday also represented St. Anthony on the all-tournament team.

“We hadn’t won this tournament the last few years, so this was something we really wanted,” Schmidt noted. “The MVP means a lot, but winning this tournament means ever more.”

Was this the kind of game Rincker anticipated?

“I’m not sure,” he said. “I didn’t anticipate getting 36 from Ryan. I didn’t anticipate the early foul trouble or all those turnovers. That was uncharacteristic sloppiness on our part. We’re going to have some serious discussions about how we finish games better.

“But this has been a great week for the boys,” Rincker added. “It’s a great thing to go through games like this and see boys respond in the big moments. I’m not totally comfortable with where we’re at right now, but that was comforting to see.”

The Bulldogs, the top-ranked team in Class 1A, improved to 22-4 on the season. They will be back in action Tuesday with a tough road test at Casey-Westfield.