By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

St. Anthony coach Cody Rincker said his team was on a mission Friday night.

Thirty-two minutes later, it was mission accomplished.

It was the kind of basketball game most fans look forward to. Two good teams. Two rivals. A packed house.

But one side of the Enlow Center had virtually nothing to cheer about the entire game.

You can blame the Bulldogs for that.

The St. Anthony boys showed why they are the state’s top-ranked Class 1A basketball team. They put a balanced scoring attack and suffocating defense on display and the result was a 55-34 victory over their Cross Creek rival, the Teutopolis Wooden Shoes.

“Our guys came out with some fire, energy and toughness about them,” Rincker said. “Any time you play your rival, especially one that’s dominated this contest, you have to come ready to play. Our guys knew they had to against a good team like T-Town.”

The Bulldogs trailed for two minutes. But after Collin Westendorf hit a short jumper and Ryan Schmidt drilled a three-pointer at the 5:36 mark of the first quarter, they never trailed again. In fact, they pretty much dominated the rest of the way.

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By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

Just 72 hours earlier, they were hoisting the championship trophy after winning the National Trail Conference Basketball Tournament.

But Tuesday night, it was time to play again. On the road. Against a very good team.

So how would the St. Anthony Bulldogs respond?

As it turns out, they responded just fine.

The Bulldogs never trailed in the game. They led by double digits in the first half and by as many as 21 points before settling for a 61-46 victory at Casey-Westfield.

“The concern about a game like this is that there will be a letdown,” SAHS coach Cody Rincker said. “But the boys did a good job of not letting that happen. They just kept rolling from Saturday night.”

A three-pointer by Brock Fearday and a layup by Ryan Schmidt following a Casey-Westfield turnover staked St. Anthony to a 5-0 lead just 49 seconds into the game. The Warriors never got closer than three points the rest of the way.

The Bulldogs built an 11-2 lead midway through the opening quarter, but then didn’t score again for a little over four minutes. By that time, Casey-Westfield had narrowed the gap to 11-8.

But St. Anthony responded. Collin Westendorf knocked down a three that ignited an 11-4 run. Schmidt also hit a three and scored six points, helping the Bulldogs take their first double-digit lead of the game, 22-12, with three minutes left in the opening half. At intermission, it was a 26-19 advantage.

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It was Senior Night at The Enlow Center and St. Anthony needed a good performance from its lone senior.

Stacie Vonderheide went 8-for-8 from the free throw line and scored 12 points in the fourth quarter Thursday night, helping the Lady Bulldogs pull away and post an 80-67 win over Brownstown/St. Elmo (BSE).

SAHS held a slim 52-51 lead entering the fourth period. But Vonderheide scored a dozen points and Nancy Ruholl knocked down a pair of three-pointers and tallied nine more points, as the Lady Bulldogs outscored the Lady Bombers 28-16 to notch their 22^nd win of the season.

“The Bombers are always ready to play,” said St. Anthony coach Aaron Rios. “They play with an intensity that is tough to match. I really admire how their coaches get the team ready to compete at a very high level. They are a great ball club and will continue to have a lot of success for their program.”

Vonderheide and Ruholl combined to score 16 points in the opening eight minutes, but Dayana Haslett connected on a pair of threes for BSE. At the end of the first period, the score was tied 18-18.

The Lady Bombers got two more three-pointers from Danika Ramsey, plus Lexi Seabaugh scored six points, helping BSE build a 42-35 lead at halftime.

But Ava Faber and Ruholl both scored five points and the Lady Bulldogs outscored BSE 17-9 in the third period to take the one-point lead into the final period.

Vonderheide finished with a game-high 32 points and added 9 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals. Ruholl turned in a double-double performance, scoring 25 points and pulling down 13 rebounds. She also had 3 assists and 5 steals.

The Lady Bulldogs improved to 22-6 overall and finished 7-1 in the National Trail Conference. They will return to action Monday, traveling to Tuscola to face the state’s No. 1 ranked Class 1A team.

Nancy Ruholl and Adysen Rios combined to score 51 points Monday night, leading the St. Anthony Lady Bulldogs to a 77-40 win at home over North Clay.

Rios scored seven points and both Ruholl and Addi Nuxoll added four more, as the Lady Bulldogs built an 18-6 lead after the opening eight minutes.

The Ruholl-Rios scoring binge heated up even more in the second period. Ruholl knocked down three shots from behind the arc and scored 15 points, while Rios made a shot from long range and tallied 11 more, helping the hosts go on a 32-19 run and take a 50-25 advantage to the locker room at halftime.

St. Anthony led by 33 points, 72-39, after three quarters, resulting in a continuously running clock.

Ruholl finished with a game-high 29 points, while Rios added 22. Stacie Vonderheide was also in double figures, finishing with 16.

The Lady Bulldogs improved to 21-6 overall and 6-1 in the National Trail Conference. They will return to action Thursday night at home against Brownstown/St. Elmo in another NTC contest.