Trey Eller’s basket with just four seconds to play Friday night, lifted the Bloomington Central Catholic Saints to a 45-44 victory at home over St. Anthony.

The Bulldogs did get off a last-second three-point attempt, but it missed.

The hosts threatened to pull away early in the game, building a 12-3 lead after the opening eight minutes. But Brock Fearday scored 12 points and Ryan Schmidt added eight more, helping St. Anthony outscore BCC 23-10 and take a 26-22 lead at intermission.

The Bulldogs still held a slim two-point edge, 33-31, entering the fourth period.

The Saints improved to 18-11 for the season and are now riding a seven-game winning streak.

Brock Fearday scored a game-high 17 points for St. Anthony and Schmidt added 14.

The Bulldogs, the No. 3 team in Class 1A, are now 23-4 overall. They will return to action Tuesday at Altamont with a chance to clinch the National Trail Conference regular season title. SAHS will carry a 7-0 league mark into that game. The Indians are 5-1 in the conference.

The St. Anthony Lady Bulldogs will enter postseason play looking for their fourth straight regional championship.

This year, they will enter as the No. 1 seed in the Class 1A Neoga Regional. They will open play Monday, Feb. 17, against either Cowden-Herrick/Beecher City (CHBC) or Neoga. That game is scheduled for 6 p.m.

The regional championship is set for 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 15.

The winner will advance to the Arcola Sectional, which will begin Tuesday, Feb. 25. Winners from the Georgetown, Decatur St. Teresa and Tuscola regionals will also play in the Arcola Sectional.

Here is the complete schedule for the Neoga Regional:

Saturday, Feb. 15

Game 1 – 5 p.m. – No. 9 CHBC at No. 6 Neoga

Game 2 – 1 p.m. – No. 12 Bridgeport (Red Hill) at No. 5 Dieterich

Monday, Feb. 17

Game 3 – 6 p.m. – No. 1 St. Anthony vs. Winner Game 1

Game 4 – 7:30 p.m. – No. 4 Altamont vs Winner Game 2

Thursday, Feb. 20

Game 5 – 7 p.m. – Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 (championship)

It was an incredible night – a record-setting night -- at The Enlow Center.

St. Anthony now has a new all-time scoring leader and notched one of the school’s best come-from-behind victories – all in the same game.

The Lady Bulldogs trailed by double digits in the second half, but staged a terrific comeback in the final eight minutes.

Ady Rios scored just one point in the second half, but it was a big one. After coming up with a steal, she drove the length of the floor and was fouled with just one second to play. Her free throw gave St. Anthony a thrilling 59-58 win over Newton on Senior Night.

Three-and-a-half quarters earlier, Nancy Ruholl moved her name to the top of the school’s all-time scoring list. Her basket at the 4:13 mark of the opening period gave her 1,664 points for her career, moving her ahead of Mike Wente, who amassed 1,663 points before graduating in 1970.

And Ruholl is just a junior. With one more season to go, there’s an excellent chance she will reach the 2,000-point plateau before career comes to an end.

Not surprisingly, it was Ruholl that played a key role in the comeback.

The Lady Bulldogs were down 12 at one point in the third quarter and still trailed by nine, 46-37, going into the final eight minutes. Ruholl scored 12 points and Addi Nuxoll added five more – plus SAHS benefited from a technical foul called on a Newton player -- helping the hosts go on a 22-12 scoring surge.

And when Rios made the last-second free throw, the No. 2 team in Class 1A had good reason to celebrate.

“It was an awesome Last Dance at the Enlow Center, especially for our seniors,” St. Anthony coach Aaron Rios said.

That senior group includes Addi Nuxoll, Kallie Kabbes, Katie Kollman, Ava Faber and Adi Rios.

Until the late rally, the Lady Eagles had led throughout. Camryn Martin scored nine of her team-high 25 points in the first period, helping the guests take a 19-15 lead. The Lady Eagles then increased their cushion to 31-25 at halftime and took the nine-point lead into the final quarter.

Newton is now 19-7 for the season.

Ruholl finished with 31 points, giving her a career total of 1,687 points heading into the postseason. Nuxoll turned in a double-double, scoring 11 points and pulling down 10 rebounds.

The Lady Bulldogs finished their regular season with a 25-4 record.

They will now open postseason play as the top seed in the Neoga Regional. Their first game is scheduled for Monday. They will face either Cowden-Herrick/Beecher City or Neoga. That game is set for 6 p.m.

The St. Anthony Bulldogs must have still had some lingering effects from Friday night’s loss at Teutopolis.

And they lingered for a entire half Tuesday night.

The South Central Cougars, looking for a big road win, built an eight-point lead, 13-5, after the first quarter. They were still on top, 18-15, at halftime.

But the Bulldogs got it together in the second half. They outscored South Central 41-22 over the final 16 minutes to post a 56-40 win at home and remain unbeaten in the National Trail Conference.

Ryan Schmidt pumped in 14 points in the third period, helping the Bulldogs go on a 20-10 scoring run and build a 35-28 lead. In the final eight minutes, it was Will Fearday that carried the scoring load. He drilled three shots from long range and scored 13 points, helping the hosts pull away for the 16-point victory.

Westin Neilson scored 14 points and Brody Markley added 12 for the Cougars, who fell to 4-3 in league play and 17-9 overall.

Will Fearday finished with a game-high 21 points and Schmidt added 19 for St. Anthony.

The Bulldogs, who are now 23-3 overall and 7-0 in the conference, will play Friday at Bloomington Central Catholic. They can then clinch the NTC regular season title with a win next Tuesday at Altamont.