But after Will Fearday converted an Oregon turnover into a basket at the 6:32 mark, the game changed immediately. Keenan Griffith followed with a three-pointer, Ryan Schmidt turned in a pair of three-point plays, Brock Fearday scored twice and Miles Waldhoff turned another turnover in to a basket.
Within six minutes, the tie game became a 29-12 St. Anthony lead.
After the three by Campos, the Hawks missed their next nine shots and also turned the ball over four times. Kade Girton’s three in the final seconds snapped the scoring drought and got Oregon within 29-15 at intermission.
“We finally got into some rhythm in the second quarter,” St. Anthony coach Cody Rincker said. “It was the first game in the tournament and we were playing a brand new team. There were some jitters. But we finally started attacking the basket on offense and settling in on defense.
“I was able to watch a little video on Oregon, so we had a decent feel for them,” Rincker added. “But you can’t get a sense of how physical a team is or how quick they are just by watching video. After the first quarter, we figured out ways to exploit some weaknesses and we started playing better. That’s how we built up the lead.”
When the second half began, Will Fearday drilled a three and scored five points and Schmidt added four more, helping the Bulldogs expand the gap to 20 points, 38-18, at the 5:32 mark. By the end of the third quarter, Waldhoff had hit a pair of threes and Schmidt totaled 10 points, sending SAHS into the final eight minutes with a comfortable 51-27 cushion.
The Hawks never got closer than 23 points and the Bulldogs led by as many as 28 in the fourth period.
Girton was the only player in double figures for the Hawks, finishing with 16 points. They hit 15-of-45 shots overall, a 33 percent clip. They were 6-for-22 from three-point range and 2-for-9 at the foul line.
The Bulldogs had two players with double-doubles. Schmidt had a game-high 25 points and 11 rebounds, while Brock Fearday scored 13 points and pulled down 10 boards. Waldhoff also cracked double figures with 10 points.
“Both Ryan and Brock are starting to figure out how to get hoops when their shots aren’t falling,” Rincker noted. “They’re also learning to trust their teammates more and more. They’re finding out our other kids can help carry the load when they aren’t shooting their best.”
St. Anthony shot 45 percent for the game, connecting on 25-of-55 overall attempts. They were 5-for-24 from long range and 9-for-14 at the free throw line. They held a 31-22 rebounding advantage.
St. Anthony, winners of eight in a row, improved to 10-2 on the season.
The winner of the St. Anthony-Chicago Brooks game will play again at 7:30 p.m. Friday against either Tolono Unity or Lincoln Way East. The loser will return to action at 6 p.m. and face the loser of the Tolono Unity-LWE contest. All of those games will be played at Effingham High School.
“One of the best parts of this tournament, in my opinion, is the great job the tournament committee does in bringing a diverse group of teams together,” Rincker said. “It’s a great opportunity in the middle of the season to play different teams and different styles. It really helps determine where you’re at as a team and how you stack up against others.”
