“Logan came out aggressive,” Rincker noted. “They were double-teaming (Jaccob) Dust and staying close to the paint. Logan saw his opportunity and got hot. Once he hit a couple threes, they started guarding him closer and he used his speed to get around them and get to the basket. He gave us a big lift.”

Antrim scored four more points in the second period, as did Dust. The Bulldogs outscored the Cardinals 12-5 and took a 39-22 advantage to the locker room at intermission.

“At halftime, we talked about staying aggressive, but also having good possessions and taking time off the clock,” Rincker explained. “That’s a fine line sometimes.

“My hat’s off to North Clay, though,” Rincker added. “They stayed aggressive and kept the pressure on us. They never give up and they don’t quit. That’s a credit to Coach (Josh) Zink. He does a great job and they had a great season.”

St. Anthony expanded the lead to 20 points on two different occasions, the final one after a bucket by Jack Elder that made it 47-27. A 3-pointer by Luke Fleener got North Clay to within 50-33 heading into the final eight minutes.

Ethan Bible scored five straight points to close the gap to 50-38. With Dust scoring seven points in the quarter, the Bulldogs built the lead to as many as 16, but a shot from long range by Ian Bailey got North Clay to within 60-49 with 2:23 to play.

Four free throws by Aaron Webb and a steal and bucket by Antrim didn’t allow the Cardinals to get any closer. North Clay closed its season with a 21-13 record.

Antrim finished with a career-high 23 points and Dust added another double-double, scoring 19 points and pulling down 13 rebounds. Webb and Jack Hoene both tallied nine points.

For the Bulldogs, it was their fifth straight regional title and sixth in Rincker’s seven years at the helm of the program.

“It’s always nice to get one of these,” Rincker admitted. “There’s no guarantee when the next one will be.”

And now the Bulldogs, 28-3 on the season, can focus on the sectional. They will play the host Warriors at 7 p.m. Wednesday. St. Anthony just beat Casey-Westfield, 48-42, a week ago on the same floor the sectional will be played.

Central A&M will play Altamont at 7 p.m. Tuesday and the sectional championship is set for the same time Friday night.

In the other regional finals, Altamont defeated Dieterich 64-44; Casey-Westfield beat Okaw Valley 57-37; and Central A&M got by Nokomis 58-43.

“We’re ready,” Rincker said. “Obviously, this is something that’s been in the back of our minds. It’s probably the main reason we were a little nervous in the regional. We now have another opportunity to play Casey-Westfield, a very good basketball team.”

Rincker admits this sectional is one of the best in the state.

“If it’s not the toughest, it’s darn close,” he said. “I’m sure the Chicago Sectional is pretty tough, too. There are a lot of good 1A basketball teams in the state this year and four of them will be in this sectional. In the postseason, you just take one game at a time and make sure you’re prepared for the next challenge.

 “When you’re growing up, these are the kind of games you want to be in,” Rincker added. “This is their opportunity to have a championship experience. We’ll be much less nervous in the sectional and ready to put our best foot forward. I’m confident in our team. We’re looking forward to Wednesday night. Hopefully, we’ll play with the same passion that has gotten us this far.”