“Our full court press was working,” Rincker noted. “It doesn’t surprise anybody. We do it almost every game. But it did help get us off to a good start. North Clay is a talented offensive basketball team. They can shoot it and they can also drive it at you. The press slowed them down a little.”

A three-point play by Cade Atwood brought the Cardinals to within four points, 23-19, two minutes into the second period. But Brock Fearday responded with a three-point play of his own, igniting a 10-2 run. Jonny Gannaway had a put-back, Schmidt drilled another three and Will Fearday made a pair of foul shots. At the 2:03 mark, the Bulldogs led 33-21.

It was an 11-point margin at intermission, 35-24.

Midway through that second period, the Bulldogs switched to a half-court zone defense. North Clay’s attacking style offense had St. Anthony in some foul trouble, motivating Rincker to make the switch.

“We always have that zone in our back pocket,” the SAHS coach noted. “I don’t understand why it’s as effective as it is, but it is. I think it threw them off a little. It protected us and allowed us to stretch our lead.”

The Bulldogs made just 4-of-15 shots from long range in the opening half. But the third quarter was much different. It was a shooting display from behind the arc, especially by Will Fearday.

After Schmidt hit a short jumper and then a three to open the second half, it was Will Fearday’s turn. After having just the two free throws in the first 16 minutes, the senior guard started lighting it up. He hit four straight three-point attempts, the last one coming at the 1:46 mark, giving SAHS a commanding 60-35 lead.

“Will is just a good basketball player,” Rincker said. “He understands his role. He got hot and stayed hot tonight. He made them pay for not finding him in transition.”

The Bulldogs connected on 7-of-8 shots from long range during the third period. In addition to the four from Will Fearday, Schmidt, Brock Fearday and Keenan Griffith all got in on the three-point fun.

Despite the margin, the Cardinals never quit playing hard. Atwood hit a three and scored five points, while Lucas Griffy added a three-point play and Carder Walden converted a late St. Anthony turnover, helping North Clay trim the gap to 62-45 heading into the final period.

Walden connected on a pair of three-pointers and Mason Byers scored six more points, but the Cardinals were never able to get closer than 13 points the rest of the way.

And St. Anthony’s last attempt from behind the arc? It was by Brock Fearday. And it went in.

North Clay had four players in double figures. Walden finished with 18, while Atwood scored 14, Zimdars 12 and Byers 11.

The Cardinals, who are the No. 4 seed, shot very well, finishing at 52 percent overall. They made 22-of-42 total attempts. They were 4-for-14 from behind the arc and 16-for-21 at the line.

For the Bulldogs, Schmidt and the two Feardays combined to score 67 points. Schmidt finished with a game-high 27 points, while Brock Fearday had 22 and Will Fearday netted 18.

St. Anthony’s shooting was red hot the entire game. They finished 30-for-51 overall, a blistering 59 percent clip. They were 13-for-28 from long range and 7-for-10 at the line. St. Anthony also owned a 23-15 rebounding edge.

For the Bulldogs, who improved to 20-2 for the season, it will be an eighth straight trip to the NTC Tournament championship game. They are the defending champs and have won five of the last seven.

“And it never gets old,” Rincker admitted. “This is a great tournament. It’s always a battle. It doesn’t matter what team you’re playing or what the records are. We’re proud to have the privilege of playing for the championship again. I’m confident we’ll come out ready to play.”