The St. Anthony Bulldogs will now get another shot at Arcola.

A year ago, the Purple Riders pulled off a 57-52 overtime upset over the Bulldogs in the regional championship.

Those two teams will square off once again Friday night – and once again, it will be for a regional title.

That became a reality when both St. Anthony and Arcola posted wins Wednesday in semifinal games in the Class 1A Moweaqua (Central A&M) Regional.

St. Anthony topped Nokomis, 45-23; and Arcola got by Okaw Valley, 49-34.

That will set up the regional championship Friday at Moweaqua High School. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

The Bulldogs jumped out to an early lead against Nokomis and were never headed. Ryan Schmidt, pumped in 10 points in the opening period, helping St. Anthony build an 18-7 advantage after the first eight minutes. Schmidt later injured his ankle and didn’t return to the game, but should be fine for Friday’s contest.

The Redskins stayed within striking distance over the next two quarters, still trailing by 11 points, 32-21, heading into the fourth period. In that final quarter, freshman Jonny Gannaway came off the bench to score seven points, helping SAHS go on a 13-2 run and pull away for the 22-point decision.

Brock Fearday led St. Anthony with 12 points, while Schmidt added 10.

The Bulldogs improved to 28-4 on the year. Arcola has won 10 of its last 11 games and will enter Friday night’s championship contest with a 24-7 record.