The St. Anthony Lady Bulldogs showed why they were the No. 1 seed Tuesday night, posting a convincing 57-23 decision over Dieterich in their opening round game of the National Trail Conference Girls Basketball Tournament, which is played in Beecher City.

St. Anthony bolted to a 16-6 lead after the opening eight minutes and continued to expand on it. During the middle two quarters, the Lady Bulldogs outscored the Lady Maroons 37-13 to take a 53-19 advantage into the fourth period.

Nancy Ruholl scored a game-high 20 points, with 18 of those coming in the first half. Addi Nuxoll was also in double figures with 10 points and Addi Lauritzen came close to a double-double, finishing with 9 points and 10 rebounds.

The Lady Bulldogs, now 16-4, will face Windsor/Stew Stras in the semifinals. That game is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Thursday. St. Anthony defeated the Lady Hatchets, 62-34, in an early matchup in December.

The other semifinal game that night will feature No. 3 Altamont against No. 2 Brownstown/St. Elmo at 7:30 p.m.