Effingham St. Anthony vs. Altamont - National Trail Conference Championship Game

Altamont keeps title at home
Indians snap losing streak against St. Anthony, 48-41 in title game
Winsdor/Stewardson-Strasburg, South Central, Neoga win final day contests

01/29/2022
BY JACK BULLOCK
Although it wasn't a perfect game, it was a the type of contest that the Altamont Indians needed.

Getting out to an early lead and doing the right things on both ends of the floor, the hosts of the 86th annual National Trail Conference Tournament didn't disappoint anyone wearing Orange and Black.

Behind a outstanding defensive effort while making enough shots overall, head coach John Niebrugge's club 'gutted out' a 48-41 championship game victory over Effingham St. Anthony in front of a large crowd Saturday night.

Tournament MVP Mason Robinson led the low scoring/defensive struggle with 12-points, coming up big in the third quarter with some key buckets, as his club improved to 19-5 on the season as Altamont has now won 10-of-11 games.

Senior guard Noah Klimple, also on the all-tournament team, added 10-points in the win while senior Tyler Robbins added eight.

However seven of the points in the game were crucial.

Jared Hammer, a 5-10 junior guard, hit a key 3-pointer in the opening frame and then converted 4-of-5 free throws in the fourth quarter to help seal the Indians' first title game win in the NTC since 2014.

Coach Niebrugge got six-points from 6-4 junior Eric Kollmann as this program took home it's sixth overall NTC tourney title in the 86-years history (2014, 1990, 1947, 1941, 1936, 1935).

“Mason was obviously the MVP. He just wants to win. At the end of the game he always guards the best player. Noah is the 'heart and soul' of this team and Eric Kollman is a load for a high school basketball player. Hopefully this is going to get us rolling into the next two to three weeks.”

Having won the previous four NTC tournament titles, Effingham St. Anthony was the top-seed and favorites coming into the championship contest but Coach Cody Rincker's club didn't do enough, especially offensively, to 'cut down the nets'.

The Bulldogs fell to 14-11 on the season with the loss despite 12-points from all-tournament selection 6-3 senior Craig Croy.

Six-four senior Kyle Stewart added 10-points for St. Anthony as the only Dawgs to reach double-figs in scoring.

The stat sheet of this battle had a couple of 'highlighter' columns.

Altamont held St. Anthony to just 1-of-14 from the 3-point line, which is not the kind of performance conducive to winning by the Bulldogs.

The Indians also kept St. A off of the offensive glass, allowing only four offensive rebounds and zero in the first half.

Three of the boards came late in the game as the Bulldogs were in desperation mode late.

Effingham St. Anthony was just 18-of-42 from the floor overall.

The Indians weren't offensive juggernauts on this night offensively but the defensive effort made up for it.

Altamont was 14-of-36 from the field, 6-of-18 from the arc as the Tribe outscored the Bulldogs 18-to-3 from the 3-point line.

Coach Niebrugge's team ended up with a 22-19 edge in overall rebounding and committed just eight-turnovers.

St. Anthony took care of the ball a bit better with just four-turnovers.

The Indians scored the first five points of the game and led 14-6 late in the frame with consecutive 3-pointers by Robbins and Hammer.

St. Anthony rallied to trail by just six at the end of one quarter.

Five different players scored two points each with freshman Brock Fearday scoring late on a back door cut to the basket as the Bulldogs trailed 16-10.

If you were looking for a 'grind it out' type quarter of basketball, you would've found one in the game's next eight minutes.

St. Anthony got buckets on a drive in the lane by sophomore Adam Rudibaugh, another back door cut score, this time by Stewart and another late score by Stewart in a short bank shot to end the quarter just before the horn.

Altamont got just one basket in the frame; a score in the lane by Kollman, along with two free throws by Robinson as the 'three yards and a cloud of dust' quarter ended with Altamont up 20-16 as the teams went to intermission.

The Indians were just 1-of-9 from the field in the second quarter while St. A ended up 3-of-7.

Both teams committed three turnovers in the stanza.

The Indians got hot for a few minutes in the third quarter, which provided Coach Niebrugge's club the cushion it needed to hold of a late rally by the Bulldogs.

Altamont connected on 4-of-10 shots from the 3-point line in the third.

Robinson nailed down two of the long range bombs as he and Klimple were part of a 12-4 run to push the lead up to 11-points.

When Logan Cornett, a 6-1 junior, knocked down his only shot of the game from the right corner with 1:50 remaining, Altamont had its largest lead at 34-23.

“They (St. Anthony) jumped some of our ball screens tonight and when we kicked it back out and got the extra pass to get some open looks,” said Coach Niebrugge. “The good teammates are going to find each other and it is something that they (St. A) have done in the past and tonight we handled it pretty well.”

St. Anthony got a couple of late quarter scores from Fearday and Stewart but still trailed 34-27 heading to the final quarter.

Coach Rincker's club got its best run early in the fourth.

After an inside score from Kollman, Altamont surrendered an 8-0 run which got St. A within one-point with 3:48 remaining.

Croy scored eight of his points in the final eight minutes.

He hit two free throws and scored on a mid-range shot to get the run going.

Consecutive offense rebound buckets by Stewart and 6-3 junior Griffin Sehy just seconds apart made it a one-point game.

Stewart was fouled on his rebound score but his free throw attempt was off the mark.

However Sehy grabbed the rebound and his stick back made it 36-35 Altamont.

Like good teams do to win championships, Altamont responded.

Hammer was sent to the line and his two made free throws stopped the St. Anthony run.

A basket on a drive by Klimple and two more Hammer free throws extended the lead.

St. Anthony got an offensive rebound, their third of the quarter, for a score to close it to within 42-39 but time was running out as the game.

Klimple and Robbins hit two free throws each then Robinson and Robbins were a combined 2-of-4 to close out Altamont's scoring.

Altamont was 14-of-19 from the foul line in the contests.

During that time St. Anthony got a final basket by Fearday but the Bulldogs missed three 3-pointers all of which were rebounded by the Indians.

The Bulldogs, when they needed the long range bombs to find the mark, missed all seven of their attempts from the arc in the fourth quarter.

The seniors for St. Anthony hadn't lost to Altamont (6-0) according to Coach Rincker before the title game defeat.

“We're a grind it out team. We got back to doing what we do best. Ball pressure, getting in the passing lane, getting after them and taking them out of their offensive game. We rebounded really well tonight and the defense won this game for us tonight,” said Coach Niebrugge. “You can't give them (St. A) easy baskets by turning it over and you can't let them have open looks. We boxed out really well. We didn't turn it over. They are a Top 25 program and Coach Rincker does a great job and we strive to be that way also.”

Championship Game	1	2	3	4	-	F
Altamont	16	04	14	14	-	48
Effingham St. Anthony	10	06	11	14	-	41

Altamont (48) – Hammer 0 1 4-5 7, Robinson 1 2 4-6 12, Klimple 2 1 3-4 10, Robbins 1 1 3-4 8, Cornett 0 1 0-0 3, Schultz 1 0 0-0 2, Kollmann 3 0 0-0 6. 2FG-8, 3FG-6, FT-14-19, PF-10.
Effingham St. Anthony (41) – Westendorf 0 0 0-0 0, Rudibaugh 1 0 0-0 2, Stewart 4 0 2-3 10, Sehy 1 1 0-1 5, Croy 5 0 2-2 12, Koenig 2 0 0-0 2, Martelli 0 0 0-0 0, B. Fearday 3 0 0-0 6, C. Fearday 1 0 0-0 2.
2FG-17, 3FG-1, FT-4-6, PF-18.
Fouled Out – Koenig - Effingham St. Anthony.
Technical Fouls – None.

WSS 71, NORTH CLAY 61
Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg needed a bounce back win after a tough 49-45 loss to Altamont in the NTC semifinals on Friday night and head coach Bob Lockart got it with an afternoon victory over North Clay.

The Comets improved to 19-5 with the victory behind points from the teams' two all-tournament selections

Six-three senior Samuel Vonderheide tossed in 25-points while the Comets got 21-points from 6-2 junior Austin Wittenberg in the win.

Coach Lockart got an additional 11-points from 5-8 sophomore guard Talon Bridges.

North Clay saw its mark slip to 9-14 on the season despite a game-best 30-points from 6-1 junior guard Logan Fleener, who was also named to the NTC all-tournament squad.

Fleener missed most of the early part of the season due to injury but the Cardinals are much better with him in the lineup.

After a 3-9 beginning, North Clay is playing much better basketball.

Unfortunately for Coach Josh Zink the Cardinals didn't have another player in double-figures in scoring.

Senior Collyn Ballard (eight) and senior Dakota Weidner (seven) were next in scoring for the Cards.

Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg used a big second half in scoring in what turned out to be a defense optional final two quarters as the two clubs combined for 80-points as the Comets won the second half 46-34.

“I thought our guards in the second half were a little bit more aggressive against their trap and really took it at them,” said Coach Lockart. “I kept telling them that all of their pressure is up on the front end and if we can get it to the middle of the floor we would have success. I thought Talon Bridges did a nice job just enough times to really attack. He hit a couple of nice shots and made some nice passes.”

Fleener got his squad off to a good beginning with eight-points in the opening quarter while Vonderheide added seven for his Comets.

Back-to-back buckets by Fleener and a 3-pointer by Ballard gave North Clay a 16-9 lead.

Vonderheide got loose in the lane and converted a three-point play as the quarter ended with the Comets down 16-13.

North Clay scored 11-points in the second quarter with all of them coming from Fleener.

Three 3-point bombs and a bank shot off of an inbounds play.

However Austin Wittenberg and Vonderheide each added points in the second quarter with Wittenberg hitting a pair of 3-pointers and Vonderheide scoring twice inside.

Wittenberg, who missed three weeks this season with a broken wrist, hit his second trey which closed the quarter at 27-24 North Clay.

“I thought in the first half we turned the ball over too much when we had opportunities to expand our lead,” said Coach Zink. “The second half was just messy on our end. We didn't rotate well, we didn't guard well and we just didn't put it together to win the game. In order for us to be consistent and to be a threat in the postseason we're going to have to put it together every single night. We have a ways to go and tonight just wasn't our night.”

What little defense that was played in the first half was put on the back burner in the final 16-minutes.

A 9-1 run by Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg early in the third quarter gave them the separation they needed with some of the few defensive stops in the half.

Vonderheide stepped out and hit one of his three 3-pointers in the game and A. Wittenberg added points in the run.

A 10-0 run late in the quarter after North Clay had responded gave W/SS its first double-figure lead.

Bridges scored on a fast break while being fouled.

His missed the free throw but Vonderheide snagged the rebound for a put-back score to begin the run.

Buckets by junior guard Carter Chaney and Wittenberg on an assist from Chaney extended the run and Vonderheide closed it with a nice spin move in the lane as the Comets led 49-36 with 1:44 left in the third.

“When you have Vonderheide on the inside to receive some of those passes it takes a lot of pressure off of us,” said Coach Lockart. “He can hit outside shots, too. He continues to develop his game.”

North Clay got a rebound bucket by senior Bryton Griffy and another score from Fleener to close the quarter down 51-42.

The Cardinals had one last run in them to get close.

Two buckets by Fleener and junior Levi Smith along with consecutive 3-pointers by Ballard and senior Brady Ingram closed the deficit to just 57-55 with 4:56 to go.

That, however, was a close as it would get.

Vonderheide added a 3-pointer along with another inside score.

Jordan Wittenberg, a 6-1 senior and Austin's brother, found himself wide open from the right corner and his 3-point bomb found the mark.

After a defensive stop, Bridges extended the lead back to double-digits at 67-58 with 2:08 remaining.

W/SS hit 4-of-6 late free throws (8-of-14 overall) as they finished off the win for the Hatchets.

“We have played a really tough schedule this year and when we play more like a streaky team than a consistent team, then we will have night's like this,” said Coach Zink. “That's the most points we've given up in a month (Crab Orchard, 75-57 loss December 17) and we can't win if we allow that many points.”

The Comets nailed down 7-of-12 3-pointers and 28-of-52 overall (53.8 percent) for the game.

North Clay ended up 9-of-18 from the arc, 24-of-45 overall (53.3 percent).

As it turned out the difference in the game came from second chances by W/SS.

The Comets grabbed 11-offensive rebounds and out-boarded the Cardinals 24-17 with Vonderheide grabbing 11.

Both teams turned it over in the fast-paced game; North Clay (14) and W/SS (11).

“I'm really happy how well we share the ball and Austin (Wittenberg) is starting to get going. That's a good win for us. We got them last week at home (54-49) and this week. That is two good wins against a team that has gotten a lot better,” said Coach Lockart. “Last night's atmosphere was unbelievable and a good thing for the kids to experience.”

Third Place Game	1	2	3	4	-	F
Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg	13	12	26	20	-	71
North Clay	16	11	15	19	-	61

Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg (71) –Bridges 5 0 1-3 11, Rincker 0 0 0-0 0, A. Wittenberg 4 3 4-5 21, Chaney 2 0 0-0 4, Vonderheide 7 3 2-3 25, Miller 1 0 0-0 2, J. Wittenberg 2 1 1-3 8. 2FG-21, 3FG-7, FT-8-14, PF-11.
North Clay (61) – Dawkins 0 0 0-0 0, Ballard 1 2 0-0 8, Smith 1 0 0-0 2, Griffy 1 0 2-2 4, Fleener 9 4 0-0 30, Boose 1 1 1-2 6, Ingram 0 1 1-4 4, Weidner 2 1 0-1 7. 2FG-15, 3FG-9, FT-4-9, PF-16.
Fouled Out – None.
Technical Fouls – None.

SOUTH CENTRAL 50, DIETERICH 34
The Cougars brought home the consolation title with a win over the Movin' Maroons as six different players netted points for Coach Blake Doehring.

Senior's Keenin Willshire and Spenser Johannes scored 14 and 13-points respectively as SC sprinted out to an big early lead and held of a late rally by Dieterich.

Coach Doehring's club is now 18-6 on the season after the 2-1 week while Dieterich dropped to 13-8.

Aiden Dodson, a junior guard, added nine-points for South Central in the victory while
junior guard Ethan Watwood tossed in eight.

London Hails, a 6-1 senior, added a basket and two free throws for four-points and senior Brandt Hiestand added a basket in the first half for two.

South Central led 28-8 at halftime and held off a brief second half rally to pick up the win.

Dieterich was led by junior guard Pete Britton with nine-points and senior guard Bryce Budde with seven-points.

Willshire netted ten of his points in the first half, including eight-points in the second quarter.

Dodson nailed down a pair of early 3-pointers and two free throws for eight first quarter points as the Cougars built a 14-5 first quarter lead.

Two buckets by Johannes in the second quarter, along with a strong defensive effort in the first half, paved the way for the win.

The Cougars held Dieterich to just three field goals in the first 16-minutes.

Although the Movin' Maroons woke up briefly in the second half with 3-pointers by Britton and Budde, South Central was in little danger of a Dieterich comeback.

South Central ended up 14-of-19 from the foul line with six late free throws to keep the lead at double-digits.

Dieterich ended up 6-of-16 from the charity stripe.

Consolation Championship	1	2	3	4	-	F
South Central	14	14	08	14	-	50
Dieterich	05	03	14	13	-	34

South Central (50) – Hails 1 0 2-2 4, Heistand 1 0 0-0 2, Watwood 1 1 3-5 8, Dodson 0 2 3-4 9, Johannes 5 0 3-3 13, Buonaura 0 0 0-1 0, Anderson 0 0-0 0, Willshire 5 0 4-5 14. 2FG-13, 3FG-3, FT-15-20, PF-18.
Dieterich (34) – Britton 3 1 0-0 9, Budde 1 1 2-6 7, LIdy 3 0 0-2 6, Will 1 0 0-0 2, Desai 0 0 0-0 0, Westendorf 2 0 2-4 6, Bloemer 0 0 0-0 0, Gephart 1 0 2-4 4, Wente 0 0 0-0 0. 2FG-11, 3FG-2, FT-6-16, PF-18.
Fouled Out – Hiestand - South Central.
Technical Fouls – None.

NEOGA 66, ST. ELMO/BROWNSTOWN 49
The Indians jumped all over St. Elmo/Brownstown in the first quarter and picked up the seventh place win for head coach Andrew Snow.

Because of a bracket with nine teams in it that guarantees at least two games for everyone, Neoga was forced to play four games this week to accommodate the team that lost the the #8 vs. #9 play in game (CHBC) and went 2-2 after defeating the Eagles.

Neoga (14-10) was led by Paci McClure, a 5-11 senior guard and a member of the all-tournament team, paced the club with 23-points.

Teammate Brady Reynolds, also a 5-11 senior, added 15-points in the win.

Coach Snow got eight-points from 6-2 junior forward Quintin Richards and seven-points from Kaden Young, a 5-11 senior.

St. Elmo/Brownstown fell behind early and, although they rallied some in the second half, saw their mark slip to 12-12 on the season.

Junior guard Jarrett Pasley led the Eagles with 13-points while senior Brady Maxey ended up with 12.

Coach Greg Feezel got seven-points each from junior Caleb Campbell and sophomore Adam Atwood in the loss.

Reynolds (2) and Young (1) combined for three 3-pointers in the first quarter while seniors Luke Romack and Kyle Peters added points in a 21-8 barrage of points in the first eight minutes.

After scoring four-points early, McClure added nine more in the second quarter as the Indians cruised into halftime up 38-18.

McClure was also 10-of-12 from the foul line in the game for Neoga as the Indians led 55-35 heading to the final quarter.

Senior Justin Bullock came off the bench and scored five-points in the fourth quarter for Neoga.

As a team the Indians ended up 17-of-26 from the stripe.

SEB finished 13-19 from the foul line.

Seventh Place Game	1	2	3	4	-	F
Neoga	21	17	17	11	-	66
St. Elmo/Brownstown	08	10	17	14	-	49

Neoga (66) – Monroe 0 0 0-0 0, Hennesay 0 0 0-0 0, Reynolds 1 3 4-6 15, Young 2 1 0-2 7, Peters 1 0 0-0 2, McClure 5 1 10-12 23, Richards 3 0 2-4 8, O'Dell 1 0 0-0 2, Will 0 0 0-0 0, Bullock 2 0 1-2 5, Romack 2 0 0-0 4. 2FG-17 3FG-5, FT-17-26, PF-15.
St. Elmo/Brownstown (49) – Behl 0 0 0-0 0, Logan 0 0 0-0 0, Pasley 2 1 6-7 13, Smith 0 0 1-2 1, J. Maxey 0 2 0-0 6, B. Maxey 4 0 4-6 12, Miller 0 0 0-0 0, Stine 0 1 0-0 3, Schaub 0 0 0-0 0, Caleb Campbell 1 1 2-4 7, Atwood 2 1 0-0 7. 2FG-9, 3FG-6, FT-13-19, PF-23.
Fouled Out – None.
Technical Fouls – None.