The St. Anthony Lady Bulldogs returned to the court for the first time since finishing third in the Coles County Girls Holiday Basketball Tournament.

And there’s nothing like coming off a two-week layoff and facing the back-to-back state champion.

But that’s exactly what the Lady Bulldogs did Saturday in the Breese Central Shootout.

After Vienna was a late scratch and St. Anthony’s game with Flora had been cancelled, the Lady Bulldogs stepped in and faced Okawville, winners of the last two Class 1A state titles.

St. Anthony kept it close for a half before dropping a 46-34 decision to the Lady Rockets.

Nancy Ruholl scored 12 points in the first half and the Lady Bulldogs trailed by only three points, 27-24, at intermission. But Okawville then outscored SAHS 14-2 in the third quarter to build a 41-26 advantage.

“It was a great test for us to kick off the second half of the season,” said Aaron Rios, head coach of the Lady Bulldogs. “We played well three out of four quarters.”

Ruholl finished with 14 points.

Brynn Rhodes scored 15 points for the Lady Rockets, who improved to 10-5.

The Lady Bulldogs are now 13-4 on the season. They will play tonight (Monday) at Salem.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

It was one of “those” moments.

A championship game.

Against a long-time arch rival.

In front of a packed house.

The double digit lead had been wiped out. Momentum was gone.

That’s the situation the St. Anthony Bulldogs faced three minutes into the second quarter Saturday night.

Their 10-point lead had evaporated and the Teutopolis Wooden Shoes were on a roll.

How would the Bulldogs respond?

As it turned out, their response was championship worthy.

St. Anthony scored the final seven points of the half and never relinquished that lead again. They led by as many as 18 points, withstood a fourth quarter challenge and finished with a 60-49 victory.

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The St. Anthony Bulldogs returned to the court Saturday for the first time since winning the Effingham-Teutopolis Christmas Classic and cruised to another victory.

They outscored St. Teresa 33-5 in the middle two quarters, en route a lopsided 52-22 win at The Enlow Center.

SAHS held a slim 13-9 lead after the opening eight minutes, but then blew the game open. Sam Link and Ryan Schmidt both knocked down three-pointers, helping the Bulldogs expand their lead to 28-14 at halftime.

St. Anthony then outscored its guests 18-0 in the third period. Schmidt scored eight points and Keenan Griffith added five more, as the margin ballooned to 32 points, 46-14.

Schmidt scored a game-high 17 points and Link added 10.

The Bulldogs improved to 14-2. They will play at home again Tuesday night, welcoming Neoga for a National Trail Conference game.

The St. Anthony Lady Bulldogs bounced back in strong fashion Saturday.

After dropping a tough game to Teutopolis in the semifinals that afternoon, St. Anthony responded by posting a 52-25 win over Mahomet-Seymour in the third place game of the Coles County Girls Holiday Basketball Tournament.

The Lady Bulldogs were on top, 32-22, heading into the final eight minutes. The St. Anthony girls then exploded, outscoring Mahomet-Seymour 22-3 to pull away for the 27-point victory.

Nancy Ruholl knocked down four shots from behind the arc in that fourth quarter to spark to surge. She finished the game with six three-pointers and a game-high 30 points.

Ruholl, along with teammate Addi Nuxoll, were named to the all-tournament team.

The Lady Bulldogs finished the tourney 3-1 and are now 13-3 on the season. They will play next on Monday, Jan. 6. They will be at home against ALAH.