The St. Anthony Bulldogs must have still had some lingering effects from Friday night’s loss at Teutopolis.

And they lingered for a entire half Tuesday night.

The South Central Cougars, looking for a big road win, built an eight-point lead, 13-5, after the first quarter. They were still on top, 18-15, at halftime.

But the Bulldogs got it together in the second half. They outscored South Central 41-22 over the final 16 minutes to post a 56-40 win at home and remain unbeaten in the National Trail Conference.

Ryan Schmidt pumped in 14 points in the third period, helping the Bulldogs go on a 20-10 scoring run and build a 35-28 lead. In the final eight minutes, it was Will Fearday that carried the scoring load. He drilled three shots from long range and scored 13 points, helping the hosts pull away for the 16-point victory.

Westin Neilson scored 14 points and Brody Markley added 12 for the Cougars, who fell to 4-3 in league play and 17-9 overall.

Will Fearday finished with a game-high 21 points and Schmidt added 19 for St. Anthony.

The Bulldogs, who are now 23-3 overall and 7-0 in the conference, will play Friday at Bloomington Central Catholic. They can then clinch the NTC regular season title with a win next Tuesday at Altamont.