The St. Anthony Bulldogs used the middle two quarters to build a lead Saturday afternoon and went on to defeat Nokomis 43-30.

It was one of the games in the National Trail Conference/Central Illinois Conference Challenge. The games were played at Warrrensburg-Latham.

The Redskins, who entered riding a three-game winning streak, matched SAHS in the opening quarter, which ended in a 9-9 tie. But the Bulldogs started building their lead in the second period. Nick Ruholl knocked down a three-pointer, as they took a 22-15 lead at halftime.

In the third period, Ryan Schmidt made 5-of-6 free throws and Brock Fearday added four points and the Bulldogs expanded their lead to 34-20 heading into the final eight minutes.

Schmidt led all scorers in the game with 17 points and Fearday added eight.

The Bulldogs, the No. 1-ranked team in Class 1A, improved to 26-4 on the season. They will play their regular season finale Tuesday night at home against Altamont. St. Anthony has a perfect 7-0 record in the NTC and can clinch the season championship with a victory at The Enlow Center.

The St. Anthony Bulldogs are one win away from making it a clean sweep through the National Trail Conference this year.

They won three games to capture the NTC Tournament a couple weeks ago and are now one win away from clinching the NTC regular season title with a perfect record.

The Bulldogs improved to 7-0 in league play with a 59-24 victory Tuesday night at South Central.

Collin Westendorf and Ryan Schmidt both knocked down a three-pointer and scored five points, helping SAHS build a 16-5 after the opening eight minutes. It was 30-11 at intermission and 52-19 heading into the fourth quarter, resulting in a continuously running clock.

Schmidt and Brock Fearday both scored 13 points to lead the St. Anthony scoring attack and Westendorf added nine.

The Bulldogs improved to 25-4 on the season. They will play Saturday at Warrensburg-Latham and will then return home to face Altamont in the NTC finale.

Camryn Martin scored 11 fourth-quarter points, sparking the Newton Lady Eagles in the fourth quarter, en route to a 59-50 win at home Thursday over St. Anthony.

The hosts held a slim 34-33 lead heading into the final eight minutes. With Martin scoring 11 points, the Lady Eagles outscored the Lady Bulldogs 25-17 to secure the win.

Despite the loss, it was an historic night for the St. Anthony girls basketball program. Nancy Ruholl became the first sophomore in school history to reach the 1,000-point plateau. Her free throw at the 6:47 mark of the first quarter gave her 1,000 points in her young career.

The game was close throughout. The Lady Bulldogs led a slim 13-12 margin after the first period. It was a 25-25 tie at halftime and the Lady Eagles had the one-point edge going into the final quarter.

Ruholl and Stacie Vonderheide shared game-high scoring honors with 20 points to lead SAHS. Martin scored 18 for Newton.

The Lady Bulldogs dipped to 22-8. They now enter postseason play as the No. 1 seed and host of the St. Anthony Regional. The Lady Bulldogs will play at 6 p.m. Monday against either Decatur Unity Christian or Cowden-Herrick/Beecher City.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

For the second straight year, it was expected to be a tightly-contested game between two of the best Class 1A girls basketball teams in the state.

And why not?

Both St. Anthony and Tuscola are ranked in the Top 10. They have combined for 47 wins so far this season. And both teams have aspirations of making a deep run in the postseason.

So, the stage was set for a fantastic game; possibly an “instant classic,” as ESPN likes to call them.

But for the second straight year, that never materialized.

A year ago, St. Anthony dominated. They torched the nets with their shooting, built leads in excess of 20 points and rolled to a 57-37 victory.

Monday night’s contest was similar – only flip-flopped.

This time, it was Tuscola’s turn to control the game. Whereas St. Anthony used a potent offensive attack in last year’s contest, the Lady Warriors used a tenacious defensive effort to make the difference this time around. Their game plan – apply pressure in hopes of creating turnovers and contain St. Anthony’s leading scorer, Stacie Vonderheide – worked to near perfection.

Tuscola started forcing turnovers immediately after the opening tap, built an early double-digit lead and weren’t really threatened, finishing with a 63-47 win on Senior Night.

Read more ...