A three-pointer by Max Koenig and a bucket by freshman Brock Fearday gave St. Anthony a 9-6 lead after eight minutes.

The first half was very low scoring. The Shoes couldn’t make a shot, but their defense forced St. Anthony into eight turnovers. The Bulldogs led by five twice, but a three by Max Niebrugge helped spark a 7-2 run that tied the game at 15-15.

Despite the shooting woes, T-Town would have gone to the locker room at halftime tied, but a three-quarter court heave by Griffin Sehy swished through the bucket to give St. Anthony an 18-15 edge.

“We really missed an opportunity to have a bigger lead,” Rincker said. “We were up three and then five and had plenty of chances to increase that lead even more. We just weren’t able to knock down shots. We’ve got to get a better diagnosis and get Craig healthy. We miss his presence.”

The Shoes came out of the locker room red hot to start the second half. Back-to-back three-point plays by Max Niebrugge and Brendan Niebrugge, plus a basket by Mitch Althoff following a Bulldog turnover, completed an 8-0 spurt and gave T-Town a 23-18 lead – a lead they never relinquished – less than two minutes into the third period.

Fearday connected on a three and scored five points and Sehy hit a short jumper right before the buzzer, keeping the Bulldogs within four points, 33-29, heading into the final eight minutes.

Another three by Fearday closed the margin even more, getting SAHS to within 37-34 midway through the fourth period. But James Niebrugge, Caleb Siemer and Dylan Preumer each scored over the next 90 seconds, expanding the THS lead to 43-34 with 2:36 remaining.

The Bulldogs managed to keep scoring, but the Shoes went 6-for-6 from the foul line in the final 39 seconds to maintain their lead and secure the victory.

“I give credit to our kids,” Reeder said. “I thought they showed a lot of grit and toughness. We didn’t shoot well that first half, but they didn’t let that affect their overall game. They kept playing defense and kept rebounding. Defense will always be the strongest part of our game. I was pretty pleased with how they performed.”

Max Niebrugge led the Shoes with 14 points and Siemer added 12. After the cold shooting in the first half, T-Town finished 15-for-36, a 42 percent clip. They were 1-for-9 from three-point range and 18-of-22 from the foul line.

St. Anthony had three players in double figures. Fearday led the way with 12 points, while Adam Rudibaugh and Koenig both scored 10. The Bulldogs shot 41 percent overall, making 18-of-44 attempts. They were 5-for-14 from behind the arc and 0-for-1 at the charity stripe.

“Even with Craig out and not getting to shoot any free throws, we were right there at the end,” Rincker noted. “We make a few more shots, it might have been different. I was very pleased with how hard the guys played. They competed the whole way.”

The Bulldogs, now 8-7 on the season, will play in the seventh place game today (Thursday). They will play Knoxville at 1 p.m. at Effingham High School.

The Shoes, who improved to 10-3 on the season, will play today against Effingham in the third place game. That game is scheduled for 3 p.m.