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.

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By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

St. Anthony coach Cody Rincker said his team was on a mission Friday night.

Thirty-two minutes later, it was mission accomplished.

It was the kind of basketball game most fans look forward to. Two good teams. Two rivals. A packed house.

But one side of the Enlow Center had virtually nothing to cheer about the entire game.

You can blame the Bulldogs for that.

The St. Anthony boys showed why they are the state’s top-ranked Class 1A basketball team. They put a balanced scoring attack and suffocating defense on display and the result was a 55-34 victory over their Cross Creek rival, the Teutopolis Wooden Shoes.

“Our guys came out with some fire, energy and toughness about them,” Rincker said. “Any time you play your rival, especially one that’s dominated this contest, you have to come ready to play. Our guys knew they had to against a good team like T-Town.”

The Bulldogs trailed for two minutes. But after Collin Westendorf hit a short jumper and Ryan Schmidt drilled a three-pointer at the 5:36 mark of the first quarter, they never trailed again. In fact, they pretty much dominated the rest of the way.

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The St. Anthony Lady Bulldogs will enter postseason play looking for their third straight regional championship.

Two years ago, St. Anthony captured the Cumberland Regional and last year, the SAHS girls brought home the championship plaque from the North Clay Regional.

This year, they will enter as the No. 1 seed and host of the St. Anthony Class 1A Regional. They will open play Monday, Feb. 12, against either Decatur Unity Christian or Cowden-Herrick/Beecher City (CHBC). That game is scheduled for 6 p.m.

The regional championship is set for 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 15.

The winner will advance to the Moweaqua (Central A&M) Sectional, which will begin Tuesday, Feb. 20. Winners from the Dieterich, Bethany and Chrisman regionals will also play in the Moweaqua Sectional.

Here is the complete schedule for the Effingham St. Anthony Regional:

Saturday, Feb. 10

Game 1 – 1 p.m. – No. 11 Decatur Unity Christian at CHBC

Game 2 – 1 p.m. – No. 12 Argenta-Oreana vs No. 6 Windsor/Stew-Straws (WSS)

Monday, Feb. 12

Game 3 – 6 p.m. -- No. 1 St. Anthony vs. Winner Game 1

Game 4 – 7:30 p.m. – No. 4 Moweaqua (Central A&M) vs. Winner Game 2

Thursday, Feb. 15

Game 5 – 6 p.m. – Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 (championship)

It was Senior Night at The Enlow Center and St. Anthony needed a good performance from its lone senior.

Stacie Vonderheide went 8-for-8 from the free throw line and scored 12 points in the fourth quarter Thursday night, helping the Lady Bulldogs pull away and post an 80-67 win over Brownstown/St. Elmo (BSE).

SAHS held a slim 52-51 lead entering the fourth period. But Vonderheide scored a dozen points and Nancy Ruholl knocked down a pair of three-pointers and tallied nine more points, as the Lady Bulldogs outscored the Lady Bombers 28-16 to notch their 22^nd win of the season.

“The Bombers are always ready to play,” said St. Anthony coach Aaron Rios. “They play with an intensity that is tough to match. I really admire how their coaches get the team ready to compete at a very high level. They are a great ball club and will continue to have a lot of success for their program.”

Vonderheide and Ruholl combined to score 16 points in the opening eight minutes, but Dayana Haslett connected on a pair of threes for BSE. At the end of the first period, the score was tied 18-18.

The Lady Bombers got two more three-pointers from Danika Ramsey, plus Lexi Seabaugh scored six points, helping BSE build a 42-35 lead at halftime.

But Ava Faber and Ruholl both scored five points and the Lady Bulldogs outscored BSE 17-9 in the third period to take the one-point lead into the final period.

Vonderheide finished with a game-high 32 points and added 9 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals. Ruholl turned in a double-double performance, scoring 25 points and pulling down 13 rebounds. She also had 3 assists and 5 steals.

The Lady Bulldogs improved to 22-6 overall and finished 7-1 in the National Trail Conference. They will return to action Monday, traveling to Tuscola to face the state’s No. 1 ranked Class 1A team.