By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

It was just two minutes into the second period and Cody Rincker had seen enough.

He saw an early 11-point lead squandered due to turnovers and sloppy play. He then saw his team simply get out-hustled for a loose ball and that was the proverbial “last straw.”

Rincker was fuming on the sideline and he let his team know it during the ensuing timeout.

“We were playing with a total lack of effort,” Rincker said. “There was no urgency or intensity in our game. It was totally unacceptable.”

The message was received.

The St. Anthony Bulldogs returned to the floor with much more energy and responded with a 19-8 run to close out the first half and continued their improved play throughout the second half.

When the final horn sounded, St. Anthony had its fourth straight victory, an 87-55 decision at home over Cowden-Herrick/Beecher City.

“I can live with mistakes, but they need to be playing hard and with great effort,” Rincker noted. “After that timeout, I thought we did a better job.”

To set the scene, SAHS got 11 points from Craig Croy and six more from Adam Rudibaugh in the first 4½ minutes of the game. The Bulldogs seemed to be taking control and built a double-digit lead, 19-8.

But questionable shot selection and three late turnovers allowed the Bobcats to close the opening quarter on a 9-0 run and get within 19-17.

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Friday night’s game was over quick.

The St. Anthony Bulldogs pitched a shutout in the opening quarter, building a 20-0 lead, and then coasted to a 71-27 victory at home over Sullivan on Homecoming Night.

Kyle Stewart scored 10 of his game-high 22 points in those first eight minutes as the Bulldogs quickly took control and rolled to their third straight win.

The hosts increased their lead to 39-8 at halftime and 58-17 after three quarters.

St. Anthony finished with four players in double figures. In addition to Stewart, Griffin Sehy scored 12 points and both Craig Croy and Max Koenig added 12.

The Bulldogs are now 3-3 on the season. They will play another home game Tuesday night against National Trail Conference opponent Cowden-Herrick/Beecher City.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

Wow!

What a third quarter performance the St. Anthony Lady Bulldogs turned in Monday night.

When they walked off the court at halftime, the host Lady Bulldogs trailed by five points. When the third quarter buzzer sounded, they were up by 17.

And despite a sensational 50-point effort by Altamont’s Grace Nelson, St. Anthony turned a remarkable eight minutes of basketball into an impressive 86-70 victory at The Enlow Center.

“At halftime, I told the girls the first three minutes of the third quarter would be the most important minutes of the game,” said SAHS coach Aaron Rios.

He was right.

Three minutes into the second half, St. Anthony held a slim 43-42 lead. Those first three minutes set the tone. The next five minutes were an explosion.

Riley Guy’s basket at the 5:12 mark gave the Lady Bulldogs that one-point edge, but it was just the start of a 23-5 scoring run over the final five minutes of the quarter. Guy had eight points during the scoring spree, as did Abbi Hatton. Grace Karolewicz added four and Lucy Fearday chipped in with a three-point play.

Heading into the final eight minutes, the Lady Bulldogs owned a 64-47 advantage.

“It was amazing to see the girls come out and respond like they did,” Rios noted. “Once we took the lead, there was no turning back. I’m very proud of how they responded.”

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The St. Anthony Lady Bulldogs took control early and rolled to a 62-23 victory at home Thursday night over Windsor/Stew-Stras.

Riley Guy reached a milestone in the first quarter when a free throw gave her 1,000 career points during her career at St. Anthony.

Guy, along with Lucy Fearday, scored six points in the opening eight minutes, helping the Lady Bulldogs race to an 18-9 lead. The Hosts then went on a 24-2 scoring spree to expand their lead to 42-11 at halftime. The margin was 60-23 after three quarters.

Fearday paced the Lady Bulldogs with 20 points, while Guy added 16.

St. Anthony improved to 6-2 on the season and opened its National Trail Conference schedule on a winning note. The Lady Bulldogs will return to action Monday. They will play at home against Altamont in a big NTC contest.