Mitchell Haake’s free throw with just three seconds left gave Breese Mater Dei a 59-58 overtime victory Saturday at St. Anthony in a match between two talented and ranked teams.

Kaden Fearday’s 3-pointer just six seconds prior had knotted the score at 58-58, setting up the possibility of a second extra period.

But the Bulldogs were whistled for a foul and Haake converted one of his two foul shots. St. Anthony still managed to get off a shot, but it was off-target.

The Knights, who are ranked No. 5 in the Class 2A poll, improved to 15-4 on the season. All four of their losses have been to teams outside of Illinois. They have lost two to teams from Missouri and one to teams from Kentucky and Alabama.

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Neoga used a balanced scoring attack and a big second quarter Thursday night to post a 53-45 victory over the St. Anthony Lady Bulldogs.

Four players scored in double figures for the Lady Indians, led by Kylee Phillips’ 15. Olivia Titus scored 13, while Audrey Ramert and Kelsey Partlow added 11 and 10 points respectively.

Riley Guy scored eight points in the opening period and the Lady Bulldogs trailed by just two points, 12-10. But the hosts then went on a 19-7 scoring run in the second quarter to open a 31-17 advantage at halftime.

But St. Anthony refused to quit. The Lady Bulldogs used a 15-8 scoring edge in the third period to close to within 39-32 heading into the final eight minutes. Partlow scored six points and Phillips added five more to help Neoga maintain its lead down the stretch.

The Lady Bulldogs had three players in double figures. Guy finished with a game-high 16 points, while Lucy Fearday scored 12 and Reese Jones added 10.

Neoga improved to 11-12 overall and 3-2 in the National Trail Conference. The Lady Bulldogs are now 7-12 for the season and 2-3 in league play.

These two teams will face each other again Monday in an opening-round game of the NTC Tournament, which will be played in Beecher City. Game time is set for 2:30 p.m.

The St. Anthony Bulldogs will enter the 85th annual National Trail Conference Tournament as the No. 1 seed.

They will also be seeking a fourth straight tournament championship.

This popular and well-attended tournament will begin play on Monday, Jan. 27, in Altamont. Games will continue the rest of that week, with the final games scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 1.

The host Altamont Indians are seeded second, followed by Dieterich, North Clay, Neoga, South Central, Windsor/Stew-Stras, St. Elmo/Brownstown and Cowden-Herrick/Beecher City.

Here is the tournament schedule:

Monday, Jan. 27:

Game 1 – 6:15 p.m. -- St. Elmo/Brownstown vs. Cowden-Herrick/Beecher City

Tuesday, Jan. 28:

Game 2 – 6:15 p.m. -- St. Anthony vs. Winner Game 1

Game 3 – 7:45 p.m. – North Clay vs. Neoga

Wednesday, Jan. 29:

Game 4 – 6:15 p.m. – Altamont vs. Windsor/Stew Stras

Game 5 – 7:45 p.m. – Dieterich vs. South Central

Thursday, Jan. 30:

Game 6 – 5 p.m. -- Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 4

Game 7 – 6:30 p.m. -- Loser Game 2 vs. Loser Game 3

Game 8 – 8 p.m. – Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 3

Friday, Jan. 31:

Game 9 – 6:15 p.m. – Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 5

Game 10 – 7:45 p.m. – Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5

Saturday, Feb. 1:

Game 11 – 11:30 a.m. – Loser Game 7 vs. Loser Game 9

Game 12 – 1 p.m. -- Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 9 (consolation championship)

Game 13 – 2:30 p.m. – Loser Game 8 vs. Loser Game 10 (third place)

Game 14 – 7:30 p.m. – Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 10 (championship)

Jonathan Willenborg scored 19 points and Griffin Sehy added 16, helping the St. Anthony Bulldogs post a 59-29 victory over Dieterich Thursday night in the Altamont Tournament.

The Bulldogs jumped out to a 15-4 lead after eight minutes and were never threatened. They led 28-18 at halftime and 44-25 after three quarters.