Logan Antrim was a key part of that run. The quick junior guard came up with two steals and scored four points. And Jaccob Dust capped the surge with a three-point play to put St. Anthony on top, 45-38, at the 5:39 mark.
“We have a lot of kids this year that have an edge to them and are ready to make big plays,” St. Anthony coach Cody Rincker said. “Tonight was Logan’s night to make the glamour plays. He had a couple steals and a couple drives to the hoop that made the difference.”
Effingham, led by Parker Wolfe, refused to go away, however. Wolfe hit a jumper and added two free throws to quickly reduce the lead to three points. But Aaron Webb connected on a 3-poiniter and Dust added a short jumper to give the Bulldogs the largest lead of the contest, 50-42, with 3:11 left.
Drew Thompson and Wolfe both hit two free throws to make it 52-49 with 1:19 still showing, but that’s the closest the Hearts got down the stretch, as the Bulldogs made 10-of-14 from the foul line in the final 1:14.
“We just ran out of gas a little in that second half,” EHS coach Obie Farmer said. “We were playing football last Saturday and basketball tonight. There are different kinds of conditioning. We’re just not in basketball shape yet.
“But I’m proud of these kids,” Farmer added. “Our toughness is second to none, in my opinion. I had to take a couple timeouts just to get them some rest. That’s what kept us in the game.”
The contest was close throughout. The game was tied 15-15 after the first eight minutes and St. Anthony held a 24-19 edge after a bucket by Aaron Webb. But Wolfe knocked down a couple threes and added a pair of free throws, helping the Hearts close the half on a 10-2 run and take a 29-26 lead into the locker room at intermission.
St. Anthony started the second half on a 7-0 scoring spree, but two more threes by Wolfe and a bucket by Drew Thompson, put the Hearts on top by two, 37-35. Two free throws by Antrim tied the score and set the stage for the final period.
“What I liked best about tonight was how we responded when we got down a couple times,” Rincker explained. “We stayed the course and our kids responded with good plays. I felt like there were times last year that when things got tough we didn’t play with that edge or confidence. Tonight, we did and you saw the difference that makes.”
Wolfe had a monster game for the Hearts, finishing with 34 points that included five threes. Drew Thompson added 10.
The Bulldogs had four players in double figures, led by a 20-point performance from Dust. Antrim scored 11 and both Jack Hoene and Kaden Fearday chipped in with 10. Dust also grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds.
“They are a well-rounded team,” Farmer said. “And Dust is a heckuva player. He’s a 6’7” wide body. I actually thought we did a pretty good job against him. If we didn’t, he would have scored 30 to 35.
“I’m looking forward to getting some practice time,” the second-year EHS coach added. “We need to knock some rust off. But we’ll just keep getting better.”
“Jaccob played a little tougher tonight, which I liked,” Rincker said. “And Kaden did a great job guarding Nate Thompson. In fact, our kids showed me a lot tonight. I thought we looked like a seasoned team coming down the stretch.”
And what about facing Teutopolis in the championship game?
“If Jordan Hardiek gets 19 points in the first four minutes again, we will not win,” Rincker said, in reference to the T-Town guard’s shooting performance earlier in the day. “We must bring intensity to the Cross Creek rivalry. It’s just one of those games you look forward to playing.”
The Hearts will face Mattoon at 6 p.m. tonight (Saturday) in the third place game.
