Max Niebrugge hit a pair of free throws with 31 seconds left and two more with 12 ticks still remaining to expand the margin to 51-47. But the Bulldogs’ Kennan Walsh knocked down a three with two seconds to go to make it a one-point margin.

The Shoes were able to inbound the ball and Evan Wermert was quickly fouled. The senior then made both charity tosses with just eight-tenths of a second left to secure the win.

“We had the right guys at the line there at the end of the game,” Reeder said. “It was good to see them knock down those free throws. I was especially happy for Max. He’s struggled at the line this year. But those were pressure free throws tonight and I liked seeing him step up and make them.”

The game was tight throughout, although T-Town led almost the entire way. At times, it looked like the Shoes might pull away. But the Bulldogs refused to let that happen.

One example was the third quarter. Max Niebrugge drained a three and Wermert followed with a short jumper to give the Shoes their largest lead of the game, 36-28, with just three minutes to go.

By the end of that period, however, it was only a one-point margin. Hotze and Logan Antrim both scored and Craig Croy then drilled a three to get the Bulldogs within 36-35 entering the final eight minutes.

The fourth period couldn’t have been tighter. Baskets by Matthew Deters and Wermert put the Shoes up five, 40-35, but SAHS came right back with scores from Antrim and Hotze to get within 40-39 midway through the quarter. The lead went from three points to a single point until Hotze’s fourth basket of the period gave the Bulldogs their brief lead and set the state for the final two minutes.

“Oh my goodness. I can’t tell you how proud I am of our effort tonight,” St. Anthony coach Cody Rincker said. “We’ve played some competitive games against this team, this program, in this gym, but I don’t think we’ve played one this close.

“I’m extremely proud we didn’t let the game get away from us,” Rincker added. “Every time we got down, we fought our way back into the game and gave us a chance to win.”

The largest lead in the first half was six points. After a bucket by Evan Addis and a turnover converted into a score by Wermert, T-Town was up 23-17 midway through the second period. A three-pointer by Antrim and baskets by Croy and Kennan Walsh gave the Bulldogs some momentum and a 24-23 edge, but it didn’t last long. Wermert connect from long range right before the buzzer to give the Shoes a 26-24 advantage at intermission.

“I challenged them pretty hard at halftime,” Reeder said. “I thought we were too passive; just going through the motions. But they responded well. We came out and got after it better in the second half.”

St. Anthony’s game plan on defense – switching from zone to man-to-man throughout -- proved successful.

“Sometimes, you have to be willing to do something different,” Rincker said. “We mixed it up. We wanted to keep them guessing. We have the length and athleticism to do that.”

“I thought Cody’s team played awesome tonight,” Reeder added. “They mixed up their defenses on us and got us out of our rhythm. Plus, they just kept attacking and battling on offense. And when we did get up on them, St. Anthony came right back at us.

“That’s what this game is all about. It’s what this game breeds,” Reeder added. “This is still a big rivalry game for both teams.”

Wermert led the Shoes with 18 points, while Max Niebrugge added 12. Niebrugge, Wermert and Deters each pulled down six rebounds.

T-Town connected on 45 percent of its shots, making 18-of-40 overall. The Shoes were 7-for-15 from behind the arc and a perfect 10-for-10 from the foul line. They also had 15 turnovers.

St. Anthony had three players in double figures, led by Hotze’s 16 points. Antrim and Croy both added 10.

“I thought Tuesday night was the best game Seth had played in a St. Anthony uniform,” Rincker said. “But tonight, he was equal or even better. He played very well.”

The Bulldogs shot nearly 50 percent, connecting on 22-of-45 shots overall. They were 5-for-11 from long range and 1-for-4 from the free throw line.

As well as his team shot, Rincker also knows there were other opportunities to score and noted the numerous short jump shots that missed.

“That’s the one frustrating part about tonight’s game,” the St. Anthony coach noted. “We made enough shots to give ourselves a chance to win, but we missed so many shots right around the basket. We definitely left some points on the floor tonight.

“But overall, I’m very pleased with the type of effort I saw,” Rincker added. “And I’m extremely proud.”

The Shoes improved to 9-4 overall. They will play two more games this week – an Apollo Conference contest Friday at Charleston; and Saturday at St. Joe-Ogden. T-Town is 4-4 in conference play.

St. Anthony dipped to 8-3. The Bulldogs will take their 6-0 National Trail Conference record into Friday’s game at Cowden-Herrick/Beecher City.

The Bulldogs control their own destiny in the National Trail Conference. In addition to CHBC, the Bulldogs will close out their conference schedule next Wednesday at North Clay.