St. Anthony will be riding a 14-game winning streak when it plays next week in the National Trail Conference Tournament.

They extended that streak Friday night after notching a good road victory – a 45-39 decision at Breese Mater Dei.

But it didn’t come easy.

Ryan Schmidt hit two three-pointers and scored eight points in the opening period, helping the Bulldogs take a 16-11 lead. That advantage was reduced to a single point, 25-24, at halftime and the visitors carried a slim two-point edge, 36-34, into the final eight minutes.

Schmidt hit another three and scored five points, while Brock Fearday added four more as the Bulldogs outscored Mater Dei 9-5 down the stretch to secure the win.

Schmidt finished with a game-high 16 points and Fearday added 10.

The Bulldogs improved to 16-2 overall.

The pairings for the NTC Tournament have just been released. St. Anthony will be the top seed and open play Tuesday night. The Bulldogs will face either Cowden-Herrick/Beecher City or Neoga at 6:15 p.m.

The tournament is scheduled for Jan. 27 thru February 1 and will be played at Altamont High School.