Basketball

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

There were really just two questions that needed to be answered Wednesday night.

How would the top-seeded St. Anthony Bulldogs play in their opening game?

And would Brock Fearday add his name to the school’s 1,000-point club?

Both questions were answered early.

After eight minutes, the Bulldogs already owned a double-digit lead.

But it took just 2 minutes and 50 seconds for Fearday to reach the 1,000-point plateau, banking in a 10-foot jump shot at the 5:10 mark.

Fearday ended up sharing game-high scoring honors, as the Bulldogs rolled to a 76-32 victory over Cowden-Herrick/Beecher City (CHBC) in their opening game of the 88^th annual National Trail Basketball Tournament, played at Altamont High School.

“Anytime you’re the No. 1 seed, you want to jump on a lower seed,” St. Anthony coach Cody Rincker said. “You want to assert your presence and dominance. I thought the boys did a good job of that. They came out with a sense of urgency and set the tone early.”

The St. Anthony Lady Bulldogs built an early double-digit lead and then cruised to a 69-40 win at home Wednesday night over South Central in a National Trail Conference contest.

Stacey Vonderheide pumped in 13 first-quarter points, helping St. Anthony take a 20-8 lead after the opening eight minutes. The lead expanded to 43-26 at halftime and 56-30 heading into the fourth period.

Vonderheide, who scored 27 points in the opening half, finished with a game-high 38 points.

The Lady Bulldogs improved to 19-6 overall and 5-1 in the NTC. They will return to action Saturday with a game at Pana.

Stacie Vonderheide and Nancy Ruholl both turned in double-double performances Saturday night, helping the St. Anthony Lady Bulldogs bring the National Trail Conference Girls Basketball Tournament championship back home.

Vonderheide, named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, scored 26 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, while Ruholl, named to the all-tournament team, had 25 points and also pulled down 11 boards, as the Lady Bulldogs posted a 69-60 victory and brought home the championship hardware to add to the school’s trophy case.

Even though SAHS led at every stop, the game was close throughout. The Lady Bulldogs were on top 14-13 after the opening eight minutes, 34-29 at intermission and 49-43 heading into the final quarter.

“I am proud of our kids and how they kept fighting,” said St. Anthony coach Aaron Rios. “It is an awesome time for The Sisterhood culture, our kids, parents, fans and St. Anthony.”

Altamont’s Grace Nelson pumped in a game-high 32 points and Peyton Osteen added 13. Both girls, who were also on the all-tourney team, knocked down a pair of three-pointers in the fourth period to keep the Lady Indians close. But Vonderheide scored eight points and both Ruholl and freshman Addie Lauritzen added five more to help St. Anthony secure the win down the stretch.

The Lady Indians, the No. 4-ranked Class 1A team in the state, dipped to 21-3 on the season. They will travel to Teutopolis on Tuesday night.

The Lady Bulldogs improved to 18-6. They will return home Monday night to face South Central in a National Trail Conference contest.

In other games Saturday, Windsor/Stew-Stras defeated South Central 57-41 in the seventh-place game; Cowden-Herrick/Beecher City beat Neoga 61-43 in the consolation championship; and Brownstown/St. Elmo topped Dieterich 62-38 in the third-place contest.

St. Anthony’s Stacie Vonderheide was named the Most Valuable Player for the National Trail Conference Girls Basketball Tournament.

The senior guard averaged 26 points per game in her three tournament games and helped the Lady Bulldogs capture the NTC Tournament championship Saturday night with a 69-60 victory over Altamont.

There was a total of 12 girls selected to the all-tournament team. In addition to Vonderheide, that included Nancy Ruholl, from St. Anthony; Grace Nelson and Peyton Osteen from Altamont; Lexi Seabaugh and Dayana Haslett, from Brownstown/St. Elmo; Macee Rodman, from Cowden-Herrick/Beecher City; Brynn Richards, from Neoga; Miley Britton, from Dieterich; Taegan Webster, from South Central; Miah Ballard, from North Clay; and Ella Kinkelaar, from Windsor/Stew-Stras.

The St. Anthony Bulldogs’ 20^th win of the season was an impressive one.

The state’s top-ranked Class 1A team posted an 81-75 victory at home Saturday over St. Joe-Ogden.

The Spartans’ Tanner Jacob scored 10 of his 27 points in the opening eight minutes, helping the guests build a 23-14 lead. But the Bulldogs came alive in the second quarter. Brady Hatton and Collin Westendorf both scored eight points, igniting a 25-11 scoring surge that put St. Anthony on top, 39-34, as the two teams headed to the locker room at intermission.

The game remained close throughout the second half. The hosts led 55-46 heading into the fourth quarter and then converted 21-of-22 free throws in the final eight minutes to secure the win. Brock Fearday went 6-for-6 and Nick Ruholl was 4-for-4 from the line and Westendorf knocked down 9-of-10 free throws to help the Bulldogs maintain their lead.

Westendorf scored a game-high 30 points, with 14 of those coming in the fourth quarter. Fearday had 16 and Hatton added 12.

The Bulldogs improved to 20-4 on the season. Their next game will be in the National Trail Conference Tournament. They will face either Cowden-Herrick/Beecher City or Neoga at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday. The tournament is played at Altamont High School.