The regional’s top seed was in a dogfight – for a half.

The St. Anthony Lady Bulldogs then kicked it into gear in the third quarter, en route to a 65-48 win over Cowden-Herrick/Beecher City Monday night in a semifinal game of the St. Anthony Class 1A Regional.

The No. 7 Lady Bobcats gave the Lady Bulldogs all they could handle in the first half. They led 10-9 after the opening eight minutes and trailed by a slim 22-21 margin at intermission.

But the third period proved decisive. Nancy Ruholl pumped in 12 points and Stacie Vonderheide scored 10 more, helping the Lady Bulldogs explode on a 28-9 run. Heading into the final quarter, St. Anthony was on top 50-30.

Ruholl and Vonderheide combined for 44 points, with Ruholl scoring 23 and Vonderheide finishing with 21.

Macee Rodman scored 23 points for the Lady Bobcats, who completed their season with an 18-14 record.

The Lady Bulldogs improved to 23-8 on the season. They will now play Windsor/Stew-Stras for the regional championship. That game is set for 6 p.m. Thursday at St. Anthony High School.

The two teams have played twice this year. The Lady Bulldogs won 72-48 back in November and then posted a 62-23 win over WSS in the National Trail Conference Tournament.