Basketball

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

It’s not uncommon for coaches to make adjustments and changes at halftime.

Especially if their team didn’t perform very well during the first 16 minutes or the opponent is doing something unexpected.

Based on how the St. Anthony Bulldogs played in the second half, compared to the first half, Cody Rincker must have made some dramatic adjustments.

But that was not the case.

“There were no gimmicks; no smoke and mirrors,” the St. Anthony coach explained. “We stuck to our game plan. And the kids just started playing better.”

After making only three shots total in the opening half, the Bulldogs equaled that in the first three minutes of the third quarter. That was the spark they needed.

St. Anthony erased an eight-point halftime deficit by doing virtually everything well in the final two quarters. The result was a 50-46 victory at home over a talented Olney team Tuesday night.

“You learn about your guys in games like this,” Rincker said. “You find out who you can trust. You find out if your kids are willing to dig deep and battle back. I was very proud of our effort tonight.”

But this win – the Bulldogs eighth straight – didn’t come easily.

Stacie Vonderheide poured in 31 points Monday night, helping the 7^th-ranked St. Anthony Lady Bulldogs roll to a 75-44 win at home over Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond (ALAH).

Vonderheide scored 20 of her points in the second half, helping the Lady Bulldogs outscore their guests, 38-16, and turn the game into a rout.

St. Anthony led throughout. Vonderheide had nine points in the first eight minutes and the Lady Bulldogs led 21-11. ALAH got to within 37-28 at halftime, but SAHS dominated the second half. Vonderheide and Nancy Ruholl both had eight points in the third quarter, as the hosts expanded their lead to 55-34. Vonderheide had 12 more in the final period, as St. Anthony pulled away for the 31-point win.

Ruholl joined Vonderheide in double figures with 16 points. Adysen Rios had a strong all-around game, finishing with eight points, five rebounds, seven assists and three steals.

The Lady Bulldogs improved to 9-4 on the season. They will return to action on Thursday, Dec. 28, when they participate in the Coles County Girls Holiday Tournament. They will play Mattoon at 10 a.m. and Mahomet-Seymour at 1 p.m. Both games will be played at Mattoon High School.

Brock Fearday and Colin Westendorf combined to scored 35 points Tuesday night, helping the St. Anthony Bulldogs beat Newton, 50-43, in a non-conference game played at the Enlow Center.

The host Bulldogs knocked down four three-pointers in the opening period. Brock Fearday had a pair, while Westendorf and Henry Brent also connected from behind the arc, as SAHS built a 16-9 lead after the first eight minutes.

The gap remained about the same throughout. St. Anthony led 25-18 at halftime and 37-29 heading into the fourth quarter.

Newton’s Parker Wolf hit two threes and scored 10 points in the final eight minutes, but The Bulldogs made 6-of-10 free throws to maintain the lead and secure the victory.

Parker finished with 18 points and teammate Dylan Gier added 13 for the Eagles, who dipped to 6-2 on the season.

Fearday also had 18 points and Westendorf scored 17 for the Bulldogs.

St. Anthony, now 7-2, will play a National Trail Conference game on the road Friday. The Bulldogs will travel to Dieterich. The Movin’ Maroons have won six straight and are 6-1 overall. Both teams are 3-0 in league play.

The St. Anthony Bulldogs stayed unbeaten in the National Trail Conference after posting a 54-39 victory Friday night at Dieterich.

St. Anthony led for most of the game, but the Movin Maroons stayed within striking distance. The hosts actually led, 12-11, after the opening eight minutes. But the Bulldogs took a 27-21 lead to the locker room at halftime and were on top, 40-30, after the third period.

Caleb Gephart knocked down a pair of three-pointers and scored eight points in the final quarter for Dieterich, but SAHS got six points from Ryan Schmidt, five from Nick Ruholl and converted 5-of-6 free throws down the stretch to widen the final margin to 15 points.

Gephart finished with a game-high 18 points, but the Movin’ Maroons had their six-game winning streak snapped. They are now 6-2 overall and 3-1 in NTC play.

Brock Fearday led St. Anthony with 16 points and Collin Westendorf added 13.

The Bulldogs improved to 8-2 overall and 4-0 in the National Trail Conference. They will be back in action tonight (Saturday) at Charleston.

It took a while, but the St. Anthony Bulldogs finally got going.

The Bulldogs trailed at halftime, but used a big second half Friday night to eventually pull away and post a 56-38 road victory over St. Elmo/Brownstown.

The host Eagles held a slim 21-20 edge at intermission. But in the third quarter, Max Koenig and Ryan Schmidt combined to score 14 points and help SAHS go on a 22-7 scoring run to build a 42-28 advantage heading into the final eight minutes.

St. Anthony then outscored SEB 14-10 in the fourth quarter to secure the win and hand the Eagles their first loss of the season.

Adam Atwood scored 15 points for St. Elmo/Brownstown, who dropped to 7-1 overall and 2-1 in the National Trail Conference.

The Bulldogs were led by Schmidt’s 16 points, while Koenig added 10, with eight of those coming in that pivotal third period.

The Bulldogs improved to 6-2 on the season and remain unbeaten in the NTC at 3-0. They will return home Tuesday night to face a talented Newton squad.