St. A Reaches NTC Title Game, Neoga, Dieterich Advance

ALTAMONT -- Effingham St. Anthony High School advanced to the championship game of the 82nd Annual National Trail Conference Boys Basketball Tournament with a victory Thursday evening.

The Bulldogs' Adam Levitt, Jack Nuxoll and Drew Gibson scored two baskets each in the opening quarter as they took a 12-5 lead on St. Elmo/Brownstown.

The lead jumped to 34-15 at halftime with a 22-10 second period run. Gibson scored eight more for the Bulldogs.

SEB came back with a 14-13 third quarter but St. Anthony took charge again in the final quarter and was a 64-41 winner.

Gibson, a 6-foot-3 senior, scored 21 points while Levitt chipped in with 15.

St. Elmo/Brownstown was led by Landon Feezel with 15 while Isaac Maxey and Dylan Brooks chipped in with eight each. SEB drops into the third place game Saturday at approximately 2:30 p.m.

St. Anthony advances to the championship game at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

In the opening game Thursday, Neoga picked up a 58-50 win over North Clay (Louisville) in consolation bracket action.

The score was tied at 9-9 after the opening quarter before Neoga took a 27-22 halftime lead. The Indians' Clayton Butler scored six in the first period then came back with five more for 11 at halftime.

North Clay rallied in the third period with a 13-11 run to pull within 38-35 as Bryce Walker scored seven points.

But the Indians came back with a 20-15 final quarter to put the game on ice.

Butler, a 5-foot-10 junior, scored 21 points for the winners while Drew Ramert chipped in with 13 and Caleb Hill added 10. Neoga will be back in action tonight against Cowden-Herrick/Beecher City at 6:15.

North Clay was led by Walker with 18 points and Aleon Rinehart with nine.

The second game was close from the get-go and ended when Dieterich had the ball with the score tied at 47-47 and 20 seconds remaining. The Movin' Maroons ran the clock down and Tyler Higgs hit a layup at the buzzer giving them a 49-47 victory over South Central.

Dieterich stepped out to a 15-9 opening quarter lead as the squad connected on three trifectas with Ryan Radloff nailing two of those.

But the Cougars fought back to pull ahead 27-23 at halftime. Logan Lotz scored six points while Trevor Markley led with seven.

Here came the Maroons in the third period with a 14-8 run to pull ahead 37-35 going into the final quarter. Callaway Campton nailed three baskets.

Lotz went on a tear for the Cougars in the final period with seven points but Higgs' basket at the buzzer gave Dieterich the win.

Dieterich moves into the consolation championship game Saturday at around 1 p.m.

NTC Tournament

Game Six

NORTH CLAY (50)

Jones 1-0 -- 3, Smith 0-0 -- 0, B. Holkenbrink 1-4 -- 7, Repking 2-0 -- 6, Walker 7-2 -- 18, Rinehart 4-1 -- 9, McKNelly 0-2 -- 2, Blank 2-1 -- 5, Bailey 0-0 -- 0. TOTALS 17 FG, 10 FT.

NEOGA (58)

Hill 4-2 -- 10, Roy 0-2 -- 2, Cornell 2-0 -- 4, Ramert 3-7 -- 13, Gresens 0-0 -- 0, Fritcher 1-1 -- 3, Clark 2-1 -- 5, Butler 8-5 -- 21. TOTALS 20 FG, 18 FT.

North Clay            9    13    13    15    --    50

Neoga                   9    18    11    20    --    58

3-point FG -- North Clay 6 (Walker 2, Repking 2, B. Holkenbrink 1), Neoga 0.

Game Seven

DIETERICH (49)

Flach 3-2 -- 9, McClain 1-0 -- 2, Bloemer 0-0 -- 0, Radloff 4-0 -- 10, Higgs 5-2 -- 12, Campton 8-0 -- 16, Niebrugge 0-0 -- 0. TOTALS 21 FG, 4 FT.

SOUTH CENTRAL (47)

Lotz 6-4 -- 17, Fox 0-0 -- 0, Brandt 1-0 -- 3, Markley 6-1 -- 14, Geiler 3-0 -- 8, Matheny 2-0 -- 4, McCown 0-1 -- 1. TOTALS 18 FG, 6 FG.

Dieterich                    15       8    14    12    --    49

South Central              9     18      8    12    --    47

3-point FG -- Dieterich 3 (Radloff 2, Flach 1), South Central 5 (Geiler 2, Markley 1, Brandt 1).

Game Eight

ST. ANTHONY (64)

Walsh 1-0 -- 3, Milleville 0-0 -- 0, Deters 1-2 -- 5, Ludwig 3-0 -- 6, Levitt 7-1 -- 15, Nuxoll 3-0 -- 6, Strullmyer 0-0 -- 0, Wall 0-0 -- 0, Gibson 9-1 -- 21, Beesley 2-0 -- 4, Lawrence 2-0 -- 4. TOTALS 28 FG, 4 FT.

ST. ELMO/BROWNSTOWN (41)

Logue 0-0 -- 0, Denton 0-0 -- 0, Karnes 0-0 -- 0, Brown 1-2 -- 5, Maxey 3-1 -- 8, Kroll 2-0 -- 5, Brooks 2-3 -- 8, Philpot 0-0 -- 0, Goldsborough 0-0 -- 0, Feezel 6-1 -- 15. TOTLAS 14 FG, 7 FT.

St. Anthony                           12    22    13    17    --    64

St. Elmo/Brownstown            5    10    14    12    --    41

3-point FG -- St. Anthony 4 (Gibson 2, Deters 1, Walsh 1), St. Elmo/Brownstown 6 (Feezel 2, Brooks 1, Kroll 1, Maxey 1, Brown 1).