By Steve Raymond
ET Sports Report
Yes, the St. Anthony Lady Bulldogs won 23 games a year ago – the most in school history.
Yes, they were co-champions of the National Trail Conference during the regular season.
Yes, they won a regional title and battled eventual state runner-up Neoga to the end in the sectional.
And, yes, between Riley Guy and Grace Karolewicz, they lost a scoring output of 28 points a game.
However, the outlook for this season remains high. An honorable mention all-state performer and three others that either started or played a lot of varsity minutes return.
“We’re more battle-tested than we’ve been in the past,” Aaron Rios, who is entering his fourth year as the St. Anthony head coach, said. “We’ve been in some big games. Plus, the girls have been around each other now for three or four years. I like this team and I think we can do very well this season.”
The Lady Bulldogs are off to a 2-0 start and will play four games later this week in the Robinson Thanksgiving Tournament, which is scheduled for Friday and Saturday. They will face Mt. Carmel at 10:30 a.m. Friday and then go up against Marshall later that day at 3 p.m. On Saturday, SAHS will play Fairfield at 10:30 a.m. and Robinson at 3 p.m.
By Steve Raymond
ET Sports Report
Cody Rincker knew he would need to be patient.
After all, having his team play at a helter-skelter pace at both ends of the floor is not in his comfort zone.
But with this year’s team, he believes it provides the best opportunity to be successful.
Just 10½ minutes into the season, however, his patience was tested.
His team wasn’t being disruptive on defense and the offense wasn’t producing. After a near seven-minute scoring drought, his club was trailing by 11 points.
“Even though we were down, we didn’t change the game plan,” Rincker said. “I felt like our pace would wear them down, so we stuck with the plan.”
And that proved to be the right move.
The St. Anthony Bulldogs kept pressuring on defense and moving the ball quickly on offense. They eventually took the lead late in the third quarter and then made crucial free throws down the stretch to come away with a 50-43 win Monday night in an opening-round game of the St. Anthony Thanksgiving Tournament.
For the second straight game, the St. Anthony Lady Bulldogs placed four players in double figures.
And for the second straight game, the Lady Bulldogs simply overpowered their opponent.
SAHS traveled to Sandoval Thursday night and came home with a convincing 76-33 victory.
Stacie Vonderheide scored eight of her game-high 22 points in the opening eight minutes, as the Lady Bulldogs built a quick double-digit lead, 17-6. By halftime, Vonderheide had 16 points and St. Anthony had a 39-27 edge.
The second half was totally one-sided. Anna Faber pumped in 10 points in the third period, helping the Lady Bulldogs go on a 20-4 scoring spree to open a 59-31 bulge. St. Anthony outscored Sandoval 37-6 over the final two quarters.
Vonderheide finished with 22 points, while Lucy Fearday scored 14, Faber added 12 and Nancy Ruholl chipped in 11.
The Lady Bulldogs, now 2-0, will play next week in the Robinson Thanksgiving Tournament. They will play two games on Friday, Nov. 25 – 10:30 a.m. against Mt. Carmel; and 3 p.m. against Marshall. SAHS will then play two games on Saturday, Nov. 26 – 10:30 a.m. against Fairfield; and 3 p.m. against Robinson.
By Steve Raymond
ET Sports Report
Cody Rincker is entering his 10th year as head coach at St. Anthony High School.
He’s seen a little bit of everything and experienced a considerable amount of success along the way. He has guided the Bulldogs to a state championship, plus six regional titles, including the Patoka Class 1A Regional last year.
But when it comes to his 2022-23 squad, Rincker admits, “I have no idea what to expect.”
“Will we score?”
“Will this pace work for us?”
These are thoughts the veteran coach has been wondering about, but won’t know the answers to until the season officially kicks off.
For Rincker and the Bulldogs, that’s tonight (Monday). St. Anthony will open play in its own Thanksgiving Tournament with a 7:30 p.m. contest against Robinson.
The St. Anthony Lady Bulldogs used a big second quarter to open a double-digit lead and then rolled to a 76-50 victory over Dieterich Tuesday night at home in the season opener.
St. Anthony held a slim 21-20 lead after the first eight minutes, but then went on a 25-6 scoring spree to build a 46-26 advantage at halftime.
The Lady Bulldogs maintained a comfortable lead throughout the second half before ending with the 26-point decision.
St. Anthony had four players in double figures. Nancy Ruholl and Lucy Fearday both finished with 17 points, while Anna Faber added 16 and Stacie Vonderheide chipped in with 12. Ruholl knocked down four three-pointers in the game.
The Lady Bulldogs will play Thursday at Sandoval.
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