It didn’t come as easy as most expected, but the St. Anthony Lady Bulldogs captured their third straight regional title Thursday night with a 50-43 victory over Windsor/Stew-Stras in the championship game of the Class 1A St. Anthony Regional.

After beating the Lady Hatchets 72-48 and 62-23 earlier in the season, there were expectations of another blowout. But Windsor/Stew-Stras had other ideas.

Stacie Vonderheide scored seven points and Addi Nuxoll added five, as the Lady Bulldogs jumped out to an 18-11 lead at the end of the first period. Nancy Ruholl hit a three-pointer and scored seven points in the second period, helping SAHS take a double-digit lead, 29-18, into the locker room at intermission.

It was a 12-point margin, 39-27, heading into the final eight minutes. The Lady Hatchets knocked down a pair of threes in the fourth quarter, but the Lady Bulldogs made 9-of-14 free throws to maintain the lead and secure another plaque for the school’s trophy case.

Ella Kinkelaar and Kendra Hayes both scored 12 points for WSS, who ended their season with a 20-14 record.

St. Anthony had three players in double figures. Ruholl led the way with 20 points, while Vonderheide scored 15 and Nuxoll added 12. Both Ruholl and Nuxoll turned in double-double performances, pulling down 11 and 12 rebounds respectively.

The Lady Bulldogs improved to 24-8 on the season. They will now advance to the Moweaqua (Central A&M) Sectional. They will play either Arcola or Salt Fork at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

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 regional’s top seed was in a dogfight – for a half.

The St. Anthony Lady Bulldogs then kicked it into gear in the third quarter, en route to a 65-48 win over Cowden-Herrick/Beecher City Monday night in a semifinal game of the St. Anthony Class 1A Regional.

The No. 7 Lady Bobcats gave the Lady Bulldogs all they could handle in the first half. They led 10-9 after the opening eight minutes and trailed by a slim 22-21 margin at intermission.

But the third period proved decisive. Nancy Ruholl pumped in 12 points and Stacie Vonderheide scored 10 more, helping the Lady Bulldogs explode on a 28-9 run. Heading into the final quarter, St. Anthony was on top 50-30.

Ruholl and Vonderheide combined for 44 points, with Ruholl scoring 23 and Vonderheide finishing with 21.

Macee Rodman scored 23 points for the Lady Bobcats, who completed their season with an 18-14 record.

The Lady Bulldogs improved to 23-8 on the season. They will now play Windsor/Stew-Stras for the regional championship. That game is set for 6 p.m. Thursday at St. Anthony High School.

The two teams have played twice this year. The Lady Bulldogs won 72-48 back in November and then posted a 62-23 win over WSS in the National Trail Conference Tournament.

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.