It was clear from the beginning that Neoga planned to show extreme patience on the offensive end and slow the game down as much as possible. Had it not been for turnovers and a few open shots that didn’t fall, the Indians plan might have been successful – especially at the beginning.
But 3-pointers by Kaden Fearday and Aaron Webb, plus seven points by Jaccob Dust, helped the Bulldogs build a 16-11 lead after the first eight minutes.
The Indians slowed it down even more in the second quarter, but they turned the ball over four times and made just one shot – a 3-pointer by Nick Titus – and a free throw by Paci McCluare. St. Anthony had only seven points in the period, but still owned a 23-15 advantage at intermission.
“I thought our guys did a great job of not letting their patience affect us,” Rincker noted. “When we did get the ball, we didn’t just race down the floor and throw up a bunch of shots. We ran our offense, worked the ball inside and out, and took good shots.”
Dust hit a short jumper and Webb connected on another three, helping the Bulldogs quickly expand the lead to double digits in the third period, 28-15. But Neoga’s Trevor Roy responded by scoring five straight points to narrow the gap to eight again.
Another basket by Dust and a shot from behind the arc by Jack Hoene helped St. Anthony take an 11-point lead, 33-22, into the final eight minutes.
That’s when Neoga picked up the pace and the Bulldogs ran away with the game. St. Anthony rattled off the first nine points of the quarter to open a 20-point bulge, 42-22. And it didn’t get any better the rest of the way.
Neoga turned the ball over eight times in the final period and Roy accounted for the Indians only four points. The Bulldogs closed out the game on an 8-0 run to finish with the 28-point win and secure their spot in the championship game again.
“In that fourth quarter, you saw why they wanted to slow the game down,” Rincker explained. “Our boys went out and pressured them, forced some turnovers and then executed on offense. They got to their spots and made shots.”
The second half also saw the return of Logan Antrim, who has been out of the St. Anthony for three weeks after suffering a broken bone in the tip of his thumb. He scored four points and had two steals and a pair of assists in just a few minutes of action.
“It was good to see him back on the floor,” Rincker admitted. “But we’re going to be careful with him. There’s a lot of season left and he’s a key part of what we can do. He brings a tenacity that just makes us a better team.”
Roy finished with a game-high 18 points for the Indians, who dipped to 15-8 on the season. Neoga will face the loser of the Altamont-Dieterich semifinal in the third place game at approximately 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
Dust led three St. Anthony players in double figures. He scored 17 points, while Hoene added 12 and Webb had 10. Dust also pulled down 12 rebounds, giving him his second straight double-double performance in the tournament.
The Bulldogs connected on 19-of-35 shots overall, a 54 percent clip. They were 5-for-11 from long range and 11-of-19 from the foul line.
St. Anthony will now have a shot at winning its fourth straight NTC Tournament title. It’s the sixth time in Rincker’s seven seasons that he has guided the Bulldogs into the championship game.
“This is where we want to be,” Rincker said. “Regardless of who it is – Altamont or Dieterich – they are both good teams and we’ll have to play well to be successful. But we’ll be prepared for either team. We’re looking forward to this.”
