About 2½ minutes into the third quarter, the Bulldogs and Trojans were tied, 27-27. At the 4:29 mark, Will Fearday knocked down a three-pointer to put St. Anthony on top.

Eight seconds later, Brock Fearday turned in the record-setting play. He chased down a loose ball, gained control and drove quickly to the basket. His short jumper was contested, but when he kissed the shot off the backboard and it dropped through the net, his career point total reached 1,664.

That shot not only set the record, it also ignited Fearday. He knocked down a pair of shots from long range and tallied 12 points in the quarter, helping give the Bulldogs a lead they never relinquished.

“In the first half, I missed some easy bunnies and just didn’t shoot very well,” Fearday noted. “But that shot in the third period got me going. I got locked in. I need to score to help our team win and I was able to do that tonight.”

Webber’s junior standout, Nathaniel Marlow, scored six points in a 37-second span – that included the rare four-point play – to give the Trojans a 38-36 edge. But in the final 96 seconds, Brock Fearday made a pair of foul shots and then drilled two shots from behind the arc to put the Bulldogs on top, 44-40, heading into the final eight minutes.

“Brock had a fantastic game,” St. Anthony coach Cody Rincker said. “He put us on his back in that second half and gave us a real lift. Without his 29 points tonight, we probably go home for the season. He’s a senior leader that sensed the moment. Great players step up and make great plays. That’s what Brock did tonight.”

And he got some help in the fourth period.

Keenan Griffith knocked down a pair of three-pointers and scored eight points, Will Fearday hit two jumpers and Miles Waldhoff came off the bench to drain another three. All of those, plus Brock Fearday’s seven points, resulted in the Bulldogs pulling away down the stretch.

A basket by Marlow got Webber to within 47-45 with 6:01 to play. The following 72 seconds proved crucial and they belonged to St. Anthony.

Brock Fearday hit a three, Will Fearday added a basket and Griffith connected from long range to cap the quick 8-0 burst and stretch the gap to double digits, 55-45, with 4:49 showing.

A three from Marlow trimmed the margin to six, 57-51, but one last three from Griffith and then 8-for-8 free throw shooting, including six straight in the final minute, helped SAHS secure the win and a spot in the sectional championship.

“The guys stepped up,” Rincker said. “Brock hit some big shots, but so did the others. When Keenan, Will and Miles score, it adds another dimension to our team. Even though it was a difficult night for Ryan (Schmidt), he showed what kind of player he is by getting a double-double.”

Until the Bulldogs expanded their lead in the fourth period, the game had been close from the outset. Webber owned a slim 12-11 lead after the opening eight minutes.

The lead exchanged hands twice to open the second quarter before back-to-back jumpers by Brock Fearday gave SAHS a 17-14 lead. A basket by Schmidt and two free throws from Brock Fearday opened a five-point margin. But a three by Webber’s Kylan Moser made it a two-point St. Anthony lead, 25-23, at intermission.

“I think there were some jitters by both teams in that first half,” Rincker said. “But we settled down after that. We hit a few shots and played better defensively.”

Even against Marlow, who came into the game averaging 31 points, and tallied 28 against the Bulldogs.

“Not very often will you ‘hold’ a player to 28 points and be pleased. But I am,” Rincker admitted. “He is one of the best offensive players I’ve ever coached against.

“Will was assigned to guard him and make him take tough shots,” Rincker added. “We wanted to make everything difficult and make him take a lot of shots to get his points. I thought Will made it very hard on him. Marlow got very few easy shots.”

Marlow finished 10-for-25 from the field. That included 3-for-12 from behind the arc. His younger brother Jacob, just a freshman, was also in double figures, scoring 13 for the Trojans, who finished their season at 27-6.

As a team, Webber shot 36 percent overall, making 20-of-55 attempts. They were 6-for-28 from long range and 10-for-14 at the foul line. They did own a 31-25 rebounding advantage.

The Bulldogs had four players in double figures. In addition to Brock Fearday’s 29, Schmidt and Will Fearday had 13 and Griffith added 10. Schmidt, who was in foul trouble much of the second half, also pulled down 12 rebounds. Brock Fearday was 9-for-17 overall and 3-for-5 from three-point range.

“We really haven’t talked about the record,” Rincker admitted. “Brock and the guys have just been focused on winning. But I’m very proud of him and the hard work he’s put in to get to this point.”

After a cold shooting first half, the Bulldogs were red hot over the final 16 minutes. They made 12-of-21 shots after intermission and were 7-for-11 from behind the arc. For the game, SAHS was 22-for-48, a 46 percent clip. They were 8-for-20 from three-point range and 16-for-17 at the foul line.

The Bulldogs, now 30-4, will face a Tuscola squad that defeated Dieterich, 74-65, to also advance to the sectional final. The Warriors are 27-6 and riding a seven-game winning streak.

“Hopefully, we’ll get off to a better start than we did tonight,” Rincker said. “Tuscola is big and physical and has a standout player (senior guard Kam Sweetnam). But we’ll come ready to compete. It should be a really good game.”