Basketball

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

For the second game in a row, the St. Anthony Lady Bulldogs turned in a sluggish first half.

But for the second game in a row, the Lady Bulldogs responded in a big way in the second half.

Nancy Ruholl and Anna Faber combined to score 24 second-half points, helping St. Anthony erase an eight-point halftime deficit.

Overall, the Lady Bulldogs outscored North Clay 38-17 in the final two quarters Thursday night, on their way to a 59-46 victory in the championship game of the Class 1A North Clay Regional.

St. Anthony will now advance to the Casey-Westfield Sectional. It will be a rematch for the Lady Bulldogs, as they will face Tuscola at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday night. In the first meeting, SAHS posted a 57-37 win over a Tuscola squad that was undefeated and ranked No. 2 in the state at the time.

But that rematch was not on the minds of the Bulldogs and coach Aaron Rios at halftime Thursday night.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

Legendary NFL coach Bill Parcells liked to say, “You are what your record says you are.”

In the case of the Altamont Indians, it’s saying loud and clear, “You’re a really good basketball team.”

They have all the pieces.

The Indians are quick, big, deep and physical.

On the offensive end, they can shoot from the perimeter, drive to the basket and crash the boards.

On defense, they play a tough-nosed, man-to-man defense, challenge every shot and crash the boards.

All of that was on display Tuesday night.

And when the final buzzer sounded, Altamont had posted a 71-55 win over St. Anthony.

That improved the Indians to 24-4 on the season and 7-0 in the National Trail Conference. They can complete an undefeated conference season with a win Thursday night at Windsor/Stew Stras. According to Scott Beal, the PA announcer, it would be the first time in more than 40 years Altamont finished with an unbeaten record in the NTC.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

Cody Rincker and the St. Anthony Bulldogs knew they faced a tough challenge Saturday.

They were not only facing a much larger Class 3A school, but a very good team, who had already posted 23 wins this season.

The Bulldogs came out strong, took an early lead and only trailed by three points at halftime.

But Troy Triad used an 11-0 run in the third quarter to pull away, en route to a 61-39 victory in the third game of the Wooden Shoes Shootout, played at J.H. Griffin Gymnasium in Teutopolis.

“I thought we still showed some of our youth in that second half,” Rincker said. “We took some hurried shots; some too early in our possessions. Plus, we missed some open shots. Then they came down and hit their shots.”

In fact, the Knights hit two-thirds of their shots in the final 16 minutes. Aydin Hitt connected on three of his six three-pointers in that third quarter and McGrady Noyes added six more points as Troy Triad took control.

It was still a three-point spread, 30-27, two minutes into the third period when Hitt connected from long range. Noyes hit a jumper, Hitt drained another three and Drew Winslow turned a SAHS turnover into a three-point play to cap an 11-0 scoring spree in just a little over three minutes that expanded the margin to 14 points, 41-27.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

It’s no secret the expectation level is pretty high for the St. Anthony Lady Bulldogs.

After making it to the sectional final a year ago and then stringing together 25 wins so far this season, this talented team has high hopes of making a deep run in this year’s postseason.

Their success just might hinge on which team shows up to play.

The Lady Bulldogs of the first half that committed a slew of silly, unnecessary fouls and got beat on the boards repeatedly?

Or the St. Anthony squad of the final 16 minutes that totally dominated play at both ends of the floor and turned the game into a rout?

Stay tuned because the postseason has just begun.

The Lady Bulldogs outscored South Central 36-10 in the second half Monday night and cruised to a 63-31 victory in a semifinal game of the Class 1A North Clay Regional.

St. Anthony will now face either St. Elmo/Brownstown or North Clay in the championship game Thursday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m., with the winner advancing to the Casey-Westfield Sectional.

The St. Anthony Lady Bulldogs closed out their regular season in winning style Thursday night, posting a 59-30 win at home over Newton on Senior Night.

SAHS built a 14-7 lead after the opening eight minutes, but then used a big second quarter to take total control. Stacie Vonderheide connected on a pair of three-pointers and scored 10 points, helping the Lady Bulldogs go on a 21-6 scoring run to open a 22-point lead – 35-13 – at halftime.

It was Nancy Ruholl’s turn in the third period. The freshman guard made a three and netted nine points, as the hosts expanded their margin 24 points and led 50-26 heading into the final quarter.

Vonderheide paced the Lady Bulldogs with a game-high 21 points, while Lucy Fearday scored 16 and Ruholl added 12.

The Lady Bulldogs finished their regular season with a 25-5 overall record. They will now enter postseason play. St. Anthony is the No. 2 seed in the Louisville (North Clay) Regional. They will play either Dieterich or South Central at 7 p.m. Monday.