The St. Anthony Bulldogs went on a 43-23 scoring spree over the middle two quarters Friday, en route to a 70-47 National Trail Conference road victory over Windsor/Stew-Stras.

With Connor Manhart knocking down four three-pointers, the host Hatchets stayed with the Bulldogs during the opening eight minutes. It was 14-14 heading into the second period.

But that’s when St. Anthony began to take control. Brock Fearday scored nine points and Collin Westendorf added seven more, as the Bulldogs went on a 23-7 run to take a 37-21 lead to the locker room at halftime. By the end of the third quarter, it was a 20-point spread, 57-37.

Manhart finished with 20 points for WSS.

Fearday tied for game scoring honors, also pumping in 20 points, but he was just one of four Bulldogs in double figures. Max Koenig scored 14 points, while Ryan Schmidt and Westendorf added 12 and 11 points respectively.

The state’s Class 1A top-ranked Bulldogs improved to 19-4 overall and 6-0 in the NTC. They will return to action tonight (Saturday) at home against St. Joe-Ogden.

Brock Fearday and Collin Westendorf combined to score 26 points in the second half Tuesday night, helping the St. Anthony Bulldogs pull away and post a 64-45 win at home over Flora.

The visiting Wolves held a slim 14-13 lead after the first eight minutes and trailed by a narrow 25-22 margin at intermission.

Fearday then scored 10 points in the third period, as the Bulldogs went on a 20-12 scoring surge to open a double-digit lead. Fearday and Westendorf both had six points in the final quarter, as SAHS secured its fifth straight win.

Fearday finished with a game-high 25 points, while Westendorf scored 16. Ryan Schmidt was also in double figures, finishing with 11 – nine of those in the second half.

The Bulldogs improved to 17-4. They will return to National Trail Conference action Friday with a road game at Windsor/Stew-Stras. They will also play a home game Saturday against St. Joe-Ogden.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

Ugly wins.

During the course of a season, almost every good basketball team will get one.

Sometimes, teams simply don’t play their best, but still come away with a ‘W’.

That was certainly case Thursday night in Beecher City.

The St. Anthony Lady Bulldogs played one good quarter, built a double-digit lead and then were lucky to survive. Way too many turnovers almost proved costly.

But they still came away with a 54-47 victory over Brownstown/St. Elmo in a semifinal game of the National Trail Conference Girls Basketball Tournament.

The Lady Bulldogs, the No. 2 seed, will now face top-seeded Altamont for the tournament championship. That game is set for 7 p.m. Saturday at Beecher City High School.

St. Anthony had a seemingly comfortable 14-point halftime lead, 35-21.

But credit the Lady Bombers for making it a game in the second half.

It was still a 13-point margin, 38-25, two minutes into the third period. A free throw by Lexi Seabaugh ignited a scoring surge that lasted through the remainder of the quarter. BSE’s defense forced St. Anthony into 10 turnovers and the Lady Bombers took advantage.

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The St. Anthony Lady Bulldogs opened National Trail Conference Tournament play in impressive fashion Monday afternoon, posting a 62-23 victory over Windsor/Stew-Stras.

The Lady Bulldogs, seeded No. 2, raced to a 19-5 lead after the first eight minutes and were never threatened. They led 30-9 at halftime and 46-21 entering the fourth quarter.

Stacie Vonderheide pumped in 28 points to lead all scorers. Adysen Rios was also in double figures with 11.

The Lady Bulldogs, who improved to 16-6 on the season, will now face Brownstown/St. Elmo in a semifinal contest. That game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursday.

In other games Monday, No. 3 BSE defeated No. 6 Cowden-Herrick/Beecher City 49-42; No. 5 Dieterich upset No. 4 Neoga 60-54; and No. 8 South Central beat No. 9 North Clay 61-47.