By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

Tuscola trailed virtually the entire game.

And by double digits on multiple occasions.

The Lady Warriors made several surges, but every time they got within five or six points, St. Anthony responded and built the lead back up.

Until the final 3½ minutes.

Adysen Rios and Addi Nuxoll hit jumpers and Stacie Vonderheide stole the ball and drove in for a layup to give the Lady Bulldogs a 41-35 lead with 3:38 to play.

But that was the last point St. Anthony scored.

They missed their final three shots from the floor, including an open layup that would have expanded the margin to eight points, plus three free throws and they turned the ball over three times down the stretch.

And Tuscola took advantage.

The Lady Warriors closed the game on a 10-0 run. Harley Woodard scored the go-ahead basket with 10 seconds to go and Sydney Moss added a breakaway layup eight seconds later to secure a 45-41 victory Tuesday night in a semifinal game of the Class 1A Casey-Westfield Sectional.

The St. Anthony Bulldogs opened postseason play with an easy 74-40 victory at home Saturday over Sandoval.

The Bulldogs raced to a 28-4 lead after the first eight minutes and coasted the rest of the way to claim an opening-round game of the Class 1A South Central Regional.

Collin Westendorf knocked down two three-pointers and scored 10 points in the opening quarter, helping SAHS build the early 24-point advantage. It was 50-25 at halftime and 68-38 heading into the final period. Because of the 30-point deficit, there was a continuously running clock in the fourth quarter.

Westendorf was one of four Bulldogs in double figures. He finished with a team-high 18 points, while Brock Fearday scored 14, Ryan Schmidt added 12 and Max Koenig had 10.

St. Anthony improved to 20-12 on the season and advanced to the semifinals of the regional. The remaining games will be played at South Central High School. The Bulldogs will face North Clay at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. The Cardinals are 21-9 after beating Dieterich 63-52 in a regional matchup Saturday.

This will be the third meeting between the two teams this year. The Cardinals won 53-49 in the NTC opener for both teams in November, but the Bulldogs bounced back to post a 60-43 victory in the semifinals of the NTC Tournament in January.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

For the second game in a row, the St. Anthony Lady Bulldogs turned in a sluggish first half.

But for the second game in a row, the Lady Bulldogs responded in a big way in the second half.

Nancy Ruholl and Anna Faber combined to score 24 second-half points, helping St. Anthony erase an eight-point halftime deficit.

Overall, the Lady Bulldogs outscored North Clay 38-17 in the final two quarters Thursday night, on their way to a 59-46 victory in the championship game of the Class 1A North Clay Regional.

St. Anthony will now advance to the Casey-Westfield Sectional. It will be a rematch for the Lady Bulldogs, as they will face Tuscola at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday night. In the first meeting, SAHS posted a 57-37 win over a Tuscola squad that was undefeated and ranked No. 2 in the state at the time.

But that rematch was not on the minds of the Bulldogs and coach Aaron Rios at halftime Thursday night.

The St. Anthony Bulldogs ended their regular season on a winning note Friday night with a 66-50 victory at home over Casey-Westfield.

Collin Westendorf and Brock Fearday combined to score 52 points, helping SAHS notch its 19th win of the season and head into regional play on a positive note.

The Bulldogs led throughout. Fearday connected on four shots, including a three-pointer, in the opening period, as the Bulldogs built a 17-9 lead. The Warriors closed to within 28-21 at halftime, but St. Anthony then took control in the third quarter, outscoring Casey-Westfield 23-12 and opening a 51-33 advantage.

Westendorf tallied 11 points in that third period and Fearday added seven more.

Westendorf finished with 24 points and Fearday scored 18. Max Koenig was also in double figures with 10.

St. Anthony improved to 19-12 on the season. The Bulldogs will now open postseason play tonight (Saturday). They will be at home against Sandoval. Tipoff is at 6 p.m.

It’s one of four opening-round games today that are all part of the Class 1A Farina (South Central) Regional. The two semifinal games will be played on Wednesday with the championship game slated for Friday night at South Central High School.

The winner of the St. Anthony-Sandoval game will face the winner of the Dieterich-North Clay contest at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

Legendary NFL coach Bill Parcells liked to say, “You are what your record says you are.”

In the case of the Altamont Indians, it’s saying loud and clear, “You’re a really good basketball team.”

They have all the pieces.

The Indians are quick, big, deep and physical.

On the offensive end, they can shoot from the perimeter, drive to the basket and crash the boards.

On defense, they play a tough-nosed, man-to-man defense, challenge every shot and crash the boards.

All of that was on display Tuesday night.

And when the final buzzer sounded, Altamont had posted a 71-55 win over St. Anthony.

That improved the Indians to 24-4 on the season and 7-0 in the National Trail Conference. They can complete an undefeated conference season with a win Thursday night at Windsor/Stew Stras. According to Scott Beal, the PA announcer, it would be the first time in more than 40 years Altamont finished with an unbeaten record in the NTC.

  1. Lady Bulldogs dominate second half; win regional opener 63-31
  2. Troy Triad pulls away in 2nd half; tops St. Anthony 61-39
  3. Lady Bulldogs close regular season with 59-30 win over Newton
  4. After slow start, Bulldogs blister the nets; Schmidt pumps in 21 in 60-36 victory at home over South Central in NTC match-up