Basketball

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

Scoring droughts are never a good thing.

When they happen early in a game, teams at least have a chance to bounce back.

When they happen at the end of a game, it generally ends badly.

And when that’s the final 3½ minutes of a postseason contest, it can be season-ending.

Unfortunately, that was exactly what happened Tuesday night at The Enlow Center.

The St. Anthony Bulldogs were in good position, owning an eight-point lead with the 3:29 to play. But from that point on, they turned the ball over eight straight possessions and failed to get off a single shot from the floor.

That was the opportunity Tuscola needed. Led by their senior standout, Jalen Quinn, the Warriors rattled off the final 11 points of the game to rally for a 51-48 victory in the first semifinal of the St. Anthony Class 1A Sectional.

St. Anthony led most of the game, and after a jumper by Craig Croy at the 5:48 mark of the final period, had its largest lead of the contest, 44-35. Adam Rudibaugh’s bucket 90 seconds later, kept the margin at nine.

After Jordan Quinn made a three for Tuscola, Kyle Stewart responded by scoring after grabbing a rebound. That came with 3:29 remaining and had the Bulldogs on top 48-40.

“There was still lot of time left and I knew we had to take care of the ball and make free throws,” St. Anthony coach Cody Rincker said. “That’s when they started to trap us and speed us up. We just didn’t take care of the ball well enough.”

Jalen Quinn started the comeback with a basket. He then continued to convert points after Bulldog turnovers. First it was a pair of free throws, then a three-point play and then two more foul shots that put the Warriors ahead, 49-48, with 40 seconds to go. He completed his personal 10-0 run with another free throw with 18 seconds still left.

St. Anthony had an opportunity to tie the game when Croy was fouled and went to the line with nine seconds still showing. He missed the front of a bonus. Stewart grabbed the rebound, but Tuscola’s Colton Musgrave knocked the ball out of his hands.

Musgrove was fouled with four seconds to go. He made just one of his foul shots, but St. Anthony turned the ball over yet again, preventing the opportunity from getting off a shot and securing the victory for the Warriors.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

It was supposed to be easy.

Most believed St. Anthony would roll through the regional with little opposition.

But this is the postseason. That doesn’t generally happen.

Plus, Carlyle wasn’t about to roll over or simply concede just because it was the underdog. It had loftier expectations.

And for three quarters, the Indians not only made a game of it, but owned a four-point lead heading into the final period.

But when that fourth quarter unfolded, the Bulldogs showed why they were the heavy favorites.

After scoring just 29 points in the first 24 minutes, St. Anthony exploded for 29 more in those final eight minutes. That proved overwhelming for Carlyle as the Bulldogs not only wiped out the deficit, they then steamrolled to a 58-46 decision Friday night that clinched the championship of the Class 1A Patoka Regional.

The St. Anthony Bulldogs used a strong second half to pull away and post a 60-41 victory over Christ Our Rock Lutheran Wednesday in a semifinal game of the Class 1A Patoka Regional.

The Bulldogs will now face Carlyle for the regional championship Friday night. The Indians defeated Nokomis 53-50 in the second semifinal Wednesday.

The Silver Stallions kept it close in the first half.

Kyle Stewart and Craig Croy both scored six points, helping St. Anthony take a 14-8 lead after the opening eight minutes. Christ Our Rock then knocked down three shots from behind the arc to close to within 21-18 at intermission.

But the Bulldogs started to build a bigger margin in the third quarter. Stewart made a three and scored seven points, as the Bulldogs outscored the Silver Stallions 17-6 to take a 38-24 advantage into the final period.

Croy connected on a pair of threes and scored eight points, as SAHS closed the game on a 22-17 surge to secure the win and earn a berth in the championship game.

Croy finished with a game-high 20 points and Stewart added 17 to pace the scoring attack.

Christ Our Rock finished their season at 21-9.

The win was the sixth straight for the Bulldogs, who improved to 20-12 overall. Carlyle will enter the regional final with a 17-15 overall mark.

Tipoff Friday will be at 7 p.m.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

With 5:54 to play in the game, things were looking good for the St. Anthony Lady Bulldogs.

Stacie Vonderheide hit a jumper and Lucy Fearday added another bucket to open the final quarter. Those points capped an 11-1 run that began in the third period and gave the Lady Bulldogs an eight-point lead. At that point, the momentum was clearly on the side of the team in the white uniforms.

St. Anthony even had the ball with a chance to expand that lead, but the first of six turnovers started to turn the tide. Over the final six minutes, the Lady Bulldogs made just one more shot, faltered at the free throw line and turned the ball over too many times.

And the Neoga Lady Indians took full advantage.

A three-pointer by Trista Moore started a 19-4 run that culminated in a 48-42 victory Friday night in the championship game of the Class 1A Tuscola Sectional.

It was a game St. Anthony coaches, players and fans will describe as “one that got away.”

“We had every opportunity to win this game tonight,” St. Anthony coach Aaron Rios said. “My hat’s off to Neoga. They are a good ballclub that beat us twice this year. But we just didn’t perform in the fourth quarter. We beat ourselves.”

After Fearday’s bucket put the Lady Bulldogs up 38-30, Moore’s shot from behind the arc started the impressive closing surge by Neoga. Sydney Richards then scored after grabbing a rebound, Sydney Hackman converted an SAHS turnover into a pair of free throws and Richards turned yet another St. Anthony miscue into a three-pointer that capped a 10-0 run and put the Lady Indians on top, 40-38, with 2:09 left.

Neoga didn’t trail again.

The Lady Bulldogs made just 1-of-10 shots from the floor in the final six minutes and converted only 2-of-6 free throws. The Lady Indians, on the other hand, went 8-for-8 from the foul line in the final 1:54 to secure the win.

“We had all the momentum early in that fourth quarter,” Rios noted. “But we had some key turnovers -- mistakes we hadn’t been making in the postseason – and we didn’t make our free throws. You have to be able to execute at the end of a game; especially a game like this.”

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

The St. Anthony Lady Bulldogs continue to prove people wrong.

Not many thought they would beat Cowden-Herrick/Beecher City in the regional championship.

Even fewer gave them much of a chance to knock off Tri-County in the sectional opener.

But when the Class 1 Tuscola Sectional championship game is played Thursday night, the Lady Bulldogs will be on the floor.

They earned a berth in the sectional final by posting a 53-45 win Tuesday night over Tri-County. St. Anthony will now face fellow National Trail Conference member Neoga for a right to advance to the Wayne City Super-Sectional.

“This was a great win for us,” said SAHS coach Aaron Rios. “I’m excited for our girls and elated for our program. This was an amazing night.”

With 4:26 to play, the Lady Bulldogs and Lady Titans were tied 40-40. But from that point on, Riley Guy, Grace Karolewicz and the St. Anthony defense dominated.

Guy, who knocked down three shots from behind the arc in the opening quarter but hadn’t scored since, drilled a three at the 3:21 mark to put the Lady Bulldogs ahead to stay. Consecutive turnovers by Tri-County resulted in baskets by both Karolewicz and Guy to extend the lead to 47-41 with 1:34 still remaining.

Josie Armstrong hit a jumper and Bella Dudley made a pair of foul shots to keep Tri-County within striking distance, but three free throws by Karolewicz and two by Guy in the final 19 seconds secured the victory and a chance to play again.