By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

The opportunity was there.

St. Anthony had trimmed an 11-point deficit down to four. The Bulldogs had all the momentum and a chance to get even closer.

But in the final 5:44 of the game, the proverbial lid was on the basket. St. Anthony missed its final 12 shots and the talented Central A&M squad took advantage.

The Raiders closed the game on a 12-2 run, and when all-stater Connor Heaton picked off two passes in the final 30 seconds and converted both into dunks, Central A&M was celebrating a 57-43 victory in the championship game of the Casey-Westfield Class 1A Sectional.

Too many, this was “the” game in the entire state Friday night. And the throng of people that filled the Casey-Westfield gym attested to that. It was absolutely packed. In fact, it was reported some fans were turned away at the gate because it had reached full capacity.

The Raiders will now face Goreville Tuesday night in the Carbondale Super Sectional. The winner of that contest will advance to the IHSA State Tournament in Peoria.

“When we got it to four and they called a timeout, I told the boys to continue attacking the hoop,” St. Anthony coach Cody Rincker said. “I told them to try to draw fouls and get to the free throw line. Instead, I thought we settled for too many threes and actually played a little too quick and forced some things. And down the stretch, we simply couldn’t make shots.”

After Jack Paradee opened the fourth period with a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws, the Raiders owned a 45-34 advantage. But Jack Hoene responded with a three that started a 7-0 run for the Bulldogs. Hoene followed another jumper and when Logan Antrim came up with a steal and layup, St. Anthony was within 45-41 with 5:44 to play.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

Defense travels.

On nights when points are harder to come by, the teams that play the best defense normally win.

Such was the case Wednesday night.

The St. Anthony Bulldogs and Casey-Westfield Warriors played a tough, physical game from the opening tip. But the Bulldogs defense was outstanding.

And when they finally converted at the free throw line in the final 60 seconds, the Bulldogs wrapped up a 48-39 victory and a berth in the Casey-Westfield Class 1A Sectional championship.

The 29-3 Bulldogs will face the 29-3 Central A&M Raiders in the much-anticipated matchup Friday night. Game time is set for 7 p.m.

“It’s been all about defense for us all year,” St. Anthony coach Cody Rincker said. “When you go on the road, especially in an environment like this, you have to guard and communicate. We’ve been guarding all season.

“Offense is fun and it’s cool when somebody dunks the ball and everybody gets excited,” Rincker added. “But defense wins championships. If you can’t get stops at key moments in a game, you’re not going to get the opportunities you want.”

It was a close and competitive game throughout. A key moment came midway through the third period. The Bulldogs had seen their eight-point lead dwindle to just three and the Warriors had the ball with a chance to get even closer.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

Postseason expectations are quite lofty at St. Anthony.

That’s no secret.

And why not?

The Bulldogs just completed a tremendous regular season that includes a high ranking in the Class 1 polls; winning both the National Trail Conference regular season and tournament championships; and defeating several very strong teams along the way, including Central A&M, a squad many consider to be the most talented in the state.

The IHSA rewarded St. Anthony by sending them to a regional site 62 miles from The Enlow Center. And for a first opponent, the Bulldogs had to face a team playing on its home floor.

Maybe there’s a reason Coach Cody Rincker hasn’t slept much the past week.

And then just 24 seconds into Wednesday night’s contest, Red Hill’s Drake Allen drilled a 3-pointer to open the scoring. Even though that was the only lead the Salukis enjoyed, they managed to stay within striking distance the first 16 minutes.

But the Bulldogs took it up a notch in the second half and ultimately rolled to a 73-42 victory in the first semifinal game of the Bridgeport Class 1A Regional.

Well, it’s finally going to happen.

The sectional that many high school basketball fans in this area have been anticipating and yearning for will begin in just a couple days.

The four regional favorites – St. Anthony, Altamont, Casey-Westfield and Central A&M – each took care of business Friday night and will now advance to the Casey-Westfield Class 1A Sectional, which many believe is the toughest in the entire state.

St. Anthony broke out to an early lead, led by 17 at halftime and by as many as 20 in the second half, en route to a 69-54 victory over North Clay in the championship game of the Bridgeport (Red Hill) Class 1A Regional.

“Grabbing the early was important,” St. Anthony coach Cody Rincker admitted. “We were expected to win, which usually creates some nerves. And if you let the other team hang close, it only increases the anxiety. We came out aggressive, established a rhythm and played very well.”

And it was the hot shooting of Logan Antrim that ignited the team. The junior point guard knocked down four 3-pointers and scored 16 points in the first eight minutes, helping the Bulldogs build a 27-17 advantage. He hit 6-of-7 shots in that opening quarter, including 4-of-5 from long range.

The National Trail Conference has released the names of those selected to the girls all-conference team.

St. Anthony had two girls selected. Sophomore Riley Guy was selected for the first team and freshman Lucy Fearday received honorable mention recognition.

Claire Wilhour, from St. Elmo/Brownstown, was named the Most Valuable Player in the conference.

In addition to Guy and Wilhour, the other players selected to the first team were Allyson Hardiek (Altamont), Madison Lovett (North Clay), Jaelyn Robertson (Cowden-Herrick/Beecher City) and Olivia Titus (Neoga).

The second team included Mikala Nichols (Windsor/Stew-Stras), Mary Guse (Altamont), Olivia Campbell (St. Elmo/Brownstown), Brooke Runge (Altamont), Laney Webster (South Central), Rachel Jackman (Altamont) and Natalie Oberlink (St. Elmo/Brownstown).

In addition to Fearday, honorable mention players were Ellie McManaway (Altamont), Kaitlyn Boerngen (Dieterich), Kylee Phillips (Neoga), Kelsey Partlow (Neoga), Allison Czyzewski (North Clay) and Hannah Hayes (Windsor/Stew-Stras).

  1. Another sectional preview? Bulldogs top Casey-Westfield 48-42
  2. Bulldogs win on Senior Night over Altamont; clinch NTC championship again
  3. Boys Class 1A, Class 2A regional pairings announced
  4. St. Anthony frosh-soph boys split games with Altamont