After Ryan Schmidt made a pair of free throws at the 5:12 mark of the final period, it was still a narrow, four-point margin, with the hosts on top, 43-39. But the Bulldogs didn’t score again and the Shoes rattled off the final 11 points to secure the win and avenge an earlier loss to St. Anthony in the championship game of the Effingham-Teutopolis Christmas Classic.

“This was a great atmosphere,” SAHS coach Cody Rincker said. “This was two awesome, successful programs going at it. We have a lot of respect for each other. I just wish we had played better.

“This game showed us some things,” Rincker added. “We’ve got to figure out a way to be more competitive on the boards, we’ve got to handle pressure better and we have to do a better job executing down the stretch in close games.”

The Shoes have struggled with their shooting in several games this season. But that was not the case Friday night, especially in the first half.

The Bulldogs owned an early 7-4 lead, but a three-pointer by Henry Thompson – the first of three by him in the opening eight minutes – sparked a 13-0 scoring run. Alex Kremer, who turned in a strong game at both ends of the floor, converted an SAHS turnover into a basket, Thompson connected on two more shots from behind the arc and Drew Hoene scored after grabbing an offensive rebound to put T-Town on top, 17-7.

But as would be the case throughout, St. Anthony came back. Schmidt, Will Fearday and Brock Fearday each scored in the final two minutes, trimming their team’s deficit to 19-13.

But every time the Bulldogs threatened to steal the momentum, the Shoes responded. When St. Anthony got within five, Gavin Addis drilled a three. Later, the Bulldogs cut it to three points after Miles Waldhoff hit a three and then added a pair of foul shots. But Kremer scored the final four points of the first half, sending Teutopolis to the locker room with a 31-24 advantage.

In that first half, the Shoes shot 50 percent. They were 12-for-24 overall and 5-for-10 from long range.

“Credit T-Town. They turned in a great, gutsy performance,” Rincker said. “They had some guys step up and make plays that put us behind early. Coming back from behind in this gym is hard to do. We just couldn’t get over the hump.”

The Shoes defense also caused problems.

“We switched on every screen,” Reeder explained. “Our kids did a tremendous job trusting each other. They (St. Anthony) are really good. That’s why it was important for us to contest every shot. We felt our pressure could bother them and wear them down.”

The third quarter was a repeat of the first 16 minutes. St. Anthony got baskets from Schmidt and Keenan Griffith to trim the gap to three points to start the third quarter, but Mick Niebrugge and Kremer responded to push it back to seven.

After a jumper by Addis at the 3:11 mark, the Shoes opened a nine-point cushion. But the Bulldogs responded again. Schmidt scored on a putback and Brock Fearday then scored twice – once on a three-point play – to get St. Anthony within two points, 39-37, heading into the fourth period.

The capacity crowd was poised for an exciting, down-to-the wire finish, but that didn’t happen. The Bulldogs couldn’t make a shot -- going 0-for-8 in the period – and the Shoes continued to expand their lead over the final 5:12.

“We just didn’t execute well offensively,” Rincker said. “We got a little shot happy, plus T-Town played really well defensively. They were able to slow down Brock and Ryan. And those two guys tried to do a little too much. Their heart was in the right place. They wanted to win this game so much. But we’ll learn from it.”

Another deciding factor in the game was rebounding. The Shoes held a commanding 28-15 advantage, with Niebrugge pulling down 10 and Landon Thoele and Kremer both grabbing six.

“Rebounding is our No. 1 key every game,” Reeder admitted. “In our losses, we’re negative-one in rebounding. In our wins, we’re plus 15. That’s how important it is for us.”

The Bulldogs got 17 points from Schmidt and 12 from Brock Fearday. The team shot 37 percent overall, making 14-of-38 attempts. They were 3-for-16 from behind the arc and 8-of-10 at the line. They had 14 turnovers.

“This is a big game, a rivalry game, a bragging rights game,” Rincker noted. “But it’s just one game. We have to learn from it and continue working hard to improve.”

The Shoes had a balanced scoring attack, led by Kremer’s game-high 21 points.

“Alex was relentless tonight,” Reeder said. “I told him if he was going to make a mistake, make it going 100 miles an hour. He was like a kid in a candy shop when I told him that. He was tremendous.”

Thompson was also in double figures with 10 points, while Niebrugge and Addis had nine and eight points respectively.

The Shoes cooled down a little in the second half, but still shot 47 percent overall, connecting on 20-of-43 shots. They were 5-for-20 from three-point range and 9-for-16 at the line. They had 11 turnovers.

“There is nothing not to like about this rivalry,” Reeder said. “The gym was hot and packed to the brim. They’re (St. Anthony) class act people. Both teams want to win. We’ll battle each other and then be friendly after the game. That’s what makes this special.

“That’s why we want this game late in the year,” Reeder added. “We know it will always be a battle and help prepare us for the postseason.”

The Bulldogs, who lost for the first time since their Thanksgiving Tournament in November, are now 22-3. They will play a National Trail Conference game at home Tuesday night against South Central.

The Shoes improved to 17-8 for the season. They won’t get much time to rest. Tipoff in Robinson – T-Town’s quest for 2,000 -- will be at approximately 2:30 p.m.