Coach Cody Rincker has seen his team escape defeat in different ways as they now find themselves in a state championship game.

The Bulldogs overcame 19-turnovers and some free throw shooting issues in their first game played at Carver Arena in Peoria on Friday afternoon.

In Chicago Hope Academy, they faced a faster, more athletic team that was higher ranked in the state polls and the favorites to get to the championship game.

But these odds, like the many other obstacles that have been on the thorny road to the championship game, were just another hurdle that the Bulldogs cleared.

St. Anthony outplayed Chicago Hope when it counted, grinding their way past the Eagles into the state championship game, 43-34 in the first 1A semifinal game.

“It speaks to team and our willingness to stick to a game plan, to understand what it would take to make us successful and giving credit to the boys to put that (plan) into action,” said Coach Rincker. “It sounds great if I say it, but if it doesn't work then we aren't sitting here. It's a credit to their willingness.”

This team now stands at 29-5 and will face Okawville on Saturday in the first ever match up of the top two ABV 1A teams in a state final.

The Rockets bested Newark, 63-48, the second semifinal game on Friday.

Since January 1, the Rockets and Bulldogs have been the top two squads in the ABV rankings and it is fitting that the two tradition rich programs get to share the spotlight on Saturday afternoon.

Coach Rincker's squad has figured out ways to win all the way to the final game and Friday's win over third ranked Hope (in the final regular season AP Poll) they persevered.

Leading scorer on the season, 6-foot-3 senior Drew Gibson, was held to just six-points.

But the forward grabbed a team-best nine-rebounds to contribute to the win.

Six-foot-two junior Adam Levitt scored 16-points for St. A, with a 10-of-15 showing from the foul line helping to make the difference.

Then you have 6-foot-2 junior Alex Deters, who netted 11-points which included a pair of huge fourth quarter baskets as the Bulldogs were protecting a lead.

When you add up all of the numbers, the result is a nine-point, low scoring win and a spot in the 2017 1A state title game.

Hope Academy head coach Antwon Johnson got just one player in double-figures as 6-foot-6 senior Jordan Doss scored just 10-points, which was well below his 18.5 scoring average.

Javion May and Javari McClendon added seven and six-points respectively for the Eagles, both of which also less than they had produced during the season up to this point.

Chicago Hope (28-4) came into the game higher ranked and on an 18-game winning streak, but the Eagles never really got their offensive attack off of the ground.

In a game that had some pretty ugly moments, the Bulldogs kept to the game plan of not getting into a track meet with Chicago Hope.

Fighting against a trapping zone defense, St. Anthony kept their calm once again in a big game.

Getting early scores from Levitt in the first quarter was important as he managed to get behind the Hope defense to get into the lane.

He scored a basket on a drive and added 3-of-4 free throws in two trips to tie the game early at 7-7.

Teammates Jack Nuxoll and Cade Walsh each scored to close out the first quarter for an 11-9 Bulldogs lead.

Neither player scored another point in what would normally spell doom for this team as both are major cogs in the wheel.

However on this afternoon, the rest of the group all played their parts.

Coach Johnson and his Hope Academy club got a 16-13 lead thanks to a 7-2 run to begin the second quarter.

Two of the baskets came in transition off of St. Anthony turnovers along with 3-of-4 free throws for a three-point lead at the 5:10 mark of the second quarter.

The Bulldogs rallied with Deters getting to the basket for a three-point play and Levitt grabbed one of his four rebounds for a put back and a 20-18 lead.

A pair of free throws by McClendon send the teams to the half at 20-all.

“I knew if we continued at that pace that they were playing at, it would be to their advantage. We made a few mistakes down the stretch and that hurt us,” said Coach Johnson. “They had a good game plan, they know that Jordan Doss is our focal player and they did a great job on him.”

Gibson, who netted 32-points in the Bulldogs come-from-behind supersectional win over Woodlawn on Tuesday night, didn't score his first points until the 1:05 mark of the third quarter.

His basket followed a score from Levitt which erased a brief 24-23 Hope lead.

The Eagles, just like the Bulldogs, had chances at the foul line but were unable to convert.

The finished just 6-of-16 overall from the line and May missed two straight in the third quarter that proved costly as St. Anthony took back the lead.

May grabbed a rebound and drove to the basket for a lay in and a 28-27 lead in the first minute of the final quarter.

Six-foot-five junior forward Alex Beesley added seven-points for the Bulldogs and his two free throws gave the lead back to St. Anthony at 29-28.

Hope had one final lead, a 30-29 advantage on the next possession as 6-foot-7 senior Ajani Parker scored in the lane.

This would be the final advantage for the Eagles as they fell into the third place game against Newark to be played on Saturday.

A drive to the goal for a score by Deters got the lead back and the Bulldogs struggles from the foul line disappeared during the closing run into the championship game.

Deters added another driving score and he and his partners in crime took the game away from Hope by converting 10-of-12 foul shots in the final 2:04.

The Eagles added to their misery by missing their last four 3-point attempts as they didn't score a point in the final 1:34.

The game summary wasn't pretty offensively for either club.

The Bulldogs were just 12-of-33 overall from the field (36.4 percent) while missing all five of their 3-point attempts.

Hope Academy was even worse from the floor, connecting on just 14-of-48 overall (29.2 percent) and 0-of-13 from the arc.

“I give all the glory to God, just for this situation and for our team. We definitely had a fun time, it's been a great season. It's disappointing, the loss, obviously to anyone who makes the Final Four. Our kids have been so resilient all year, all the time, we're just looking forward to tomorrow,” said Coach Johnson.

The key stat on explaining how the Bulldogs managed to win this contest came mostly from the defensive end.

Coach Rincker's club out rebounded the taller, athletic Eagles, 37-31 as all eight of the Bulldogs who played had at least one rebound.

“We are not always a dominating rebounding type team but we make up for it in other ways. I thought today we did it with 'heart' as we were able to find ways to get the rebounds,” said Coach Rincker. “That is a very talented rebounding team.”

Effingham St. Anthony and Okawville have three common opponents from the 2016-17 season.

Each hold a two-point win over 3A regional champion Breese Central while Okawville has beaten both Flora and Breese Mater Dei this season.

The Bulldogs topped Flora in route to the championship of the Vandalia Holiday Tournament championship last December.

Mater Dei beat the Bulldogs handily during a January funk in which St. Anthony closed the regular season by losing 4-of-their-last-6 games.

But Coach Rincker's club is on a six-game winning streak heading into the title tilt.

“We are obviously proud of the accomplishment (championship game) and we are humbled a little bit because there have been a lot of great teams and players that have played here,” said Coach Rincker. “There have been a lot of great coaches here that have also had great success but not had the opportunity. It is something that we appreciate but the boys also have high expectations. Both in the classroom and on the court.