Izzy Hackman started the comeback by converting a North Clay turnover into a layup. Fearday then hit a short jumper and Reese Jones made a pair of free throws to tie the game at 37-37 midway through the quarter. Fearday then put the Lady Bulldogs on top to stay with a basket after grabbing an offensive rebound. The sophomore scored again at the 1:12 mark to give the hosts a 41-37 advantage.

St. Anthony had a chance to seal the game at the foul stripe, but went 3-for-9 in the quarter and missed the front end of the bonus on three straight trips in an 18-second span in the final minute. North Clay’s Madison Lovett made a pair of free throws with 25 seconds still left, but the Lady Cardinals were unable to get any closer.

Grace Karolewicz made a foul shot 10 seconds later and a final turnover by North Clay allowed the Lady Bulldogs to run out the clock.

“We made some adjustments at halftime and they really helped,” Rios noted. “We did a good of face-guarding and were able to take away the paint from them in the second half with our defense. And offensively, we slowed down and showed patience.

“Our shot selection was not good in the first half,” Rios added. “Too many times it was one pass and a shot. When we play like that, it hurts us. We want to get the ball in the paint, make good passes and take good shots. We weren’t doing that early.”

A 3- pointer by Jones – St. Anthony’s only three of the game – gave the Lady Bulldogs an early 10-4 lead. But North Clay responded with an 11-3 run, capped by a bucket by Alexis VanDyke right before the buzzer to give the Lady Cardinals a 15-13 edge after the opening eight minutes.

Despite turning the ball over six times in the second period, St. Anthony held a slim 25-24 edge at intermission.

Three-pointers by Kirstin Allen and Lovett helped North Clay outscore the Lady Bulldogs 13-6 in the third quarter to take a 37-31 lead into the final period.

 Fearday turned in all-around strong game, finishing with a double-double. She had six points and six rebounds in the fourth quarter and ended with 16 points and 13 rebounds overall.

“Lucy worked hard in the off-season,” Rios said. “She can step out and hit shots, but right now she is more effective inside. She plays tough underneath and we’ll take advantage of that. She had a great game for us tonight.”

Riley Guy, Karolewicz and Jones each had seven points for St. Anthony. Miah Ballard led North Clay with 12 points.

For the game, the Lady Bulldogs shot 35 percent, connecting on 18-of-52 shots. They were 1-for-11 from long range and just 5-of-17 from the free throw line. They held a 32-26 rebounding advantage and committed 11 turnovers, while forcing 16.

“Our goals are pretty clear,” Rios said. “We want to continue with our culture, cut turnovers to under 10 per game, shoot 80 percent from the free throw line and win the defensive rebounding battle. Obviously, we need some work on our free throw shooting, but I was pleased with only having 11 turnovers. Last year, we averaged more than 20.”

The Lady Bulldogs will return to action Saturday at home against Flora. Game time is scheduled for 1 p.m.