DECATUR -- Throughout the postseason the Bulldogs will key on the phrase "Survive and advance." Wednesday night the Bulldogs didn't only survive, but convincingly defeated the Monticello Sages, 62-48, to pave their way to Friday night's Regional Championship.

The Bulldogs with the help of an energetic crowd played a good game throughout. The dawgs started with three point field goal on their first possession just to get things moving. The home team continued the next eight minutes with the same intenstiy and owned a 2 point edge (15-13) at the quarter break.

Saint Teresa jumped on the Sages in the second quarter looking to increase the small lead, which they did. The dawgs increased their lead to as much as 9 in the quarter and took a 6 point (28-22) lead into the half time session.

Saint Teresa came out with the same energy it had throughout the game and stepped it up on the defensive end of the floor again and again, having the visitors work hard for every one of their points. With the defensive effort the home team had a 9 point lead in its hands going into the fianl eight minutes of the game.

To finish, this is what neede to happen in the final eight minutes of regulation for the Bulldogs to advance. Strong defense, make free throws, and to keep the Sages off of the boards especially on the offensive end. This is what happened as the Bulldogs pulled away with a 12 point victory, 62-48.

Tim Brilley and Adam McCoy, who both created a dynamic inside-out duo throughtout the game, led the way offensively for the Bulldogs. Saint Teresa will hit the court again on Friday to try to bring home the schools first regional title since 1996. The Meridian Hawks, who have defeated the Bulldogs 3 times in the regular season, are the only thing standing in the way of a Saint Teresa Bulldogs winning a 2001 Regional Title!

DECATUR -- Despite a sluggish first half the Bulldogs cruised to victory against Atwood-Hammond on Tuesday evening. The Bulldogs took advantage of the home court and burried the Rajahs early in the second half.

The Bulldogs jumped out to a 8 point lead in the first eight minutes. The Bulldogs won the second quarter by 3 points. A dissappointment in the first half for the Bulldogs was that the Bulldogs did not take advantage of chances to blow the game wide open. The Bulldogs took a 11 point lead into half time.

In the third quarter Saint Teresa took advantage with a 13-0 run to start the quarter blowing the game open and putting much hope for the Rajahs to rest.

The home teams starters were able to sit and rest for the next game for the whole fourth quarter. The Bulldogs ran away with a 79-41 victory.

Tim Brilley lead the Bulldogs with a game high 23 points. Saint Teresa will play again Wednesday night for a chance to play in the Regional final on Friday. The Bulldogs will match up against Okaw Conference foe Monticello Sages. The Sages defeated the bulldogs by one at Monticello. 

DECATUR -- "February Fever" kicks off Monday at Saint Teresa when the Bement Bulldogs will take on the Argenta-Oreana Bombers to open the 2001 Saint Teresa Regional. The home team will take the floor at 6 the next night (Tuesday) to take on the Atwood-Hammond Rajahs.

Despite the Rajahs having an impressing 4-21 regular season mark the Buldogs know they have to come out ready to play because it is one and done from here on out. Thy know this is the second season and everyone starts out even and anyhing can happen.

This is the first regional tournament has held Saint Teresa in the past 30 years. The Bulldogs have the rare advantage this year that only 63 other teams in the state of Illinois have, to play the Regional on their home floor. This also gives the hometown fans more chances to watch the Bulldogs in action closer to home, take advantage. Pack the Place and support the Dawgs as they try to win the school first regional title in five seasons.

DECATUR -- Friday evening the Central A&M Raiders came into Saint Teresa Gymnasium with two goals: 1) ruin senior night; 2) hand the Bulldogs their fifth conference loss. Tim Brilley and Co. would make sure niether of these goals were met. 

Saint Teresa had troubles executing early in the ballgame but found the rythm and offensive touch to cut the lead to only two after one quarter.

More offensive success continued for the Bulldogs from the inside in the second quarter, taking the lead but were not able to stretch the lead. Raider guard, Weston Adcock, helped to narrow the margin by hitting three threes in the second quarter. The Bulldogs heading into the lockeroom at half with a two point lead.

The Bulldogs offense continued in the third quarter when senior center, Tim Brilley, took over the ball game and powered the Bulldogs to a 45-40 lead heading into the final eight minutes.

Brilley and Co. pushed the lead in the final quarter to as much as nine. The Bulldogs held on for the remainded of the quarter to secure a 56-49 Okaw Valley Conference win.

This win concludes the Bulldogs regular season with a 19-8 overall record and a 5-4 Okaw Valley Conference regular season mark. The Bulldogs will begin post-season action on Tuesday back at home against Atwood-Hammond at 6:00. Four yet to be determined Bulldog players will compete in the "Country Companies Three Point Showdown" at 5:15. The players will be listed hopefully Saturday, if not just come and see who it is. The Bulldogs are looking to win their first regional championship in five years.

DECATUR -- This season the leaders in almost all of the Bulldogs games and practices have been Tim Bliefnick, Tim Brilley, and Adam McCoy, all seniors. These three players will be honored Friday night before the final regular season Varsity home game against Central A&M.

THE PLAYERS:
Tim Brilley: Tim has played all four years of basketball at Saint Teresa. Brilley has been a team emotional leader for the past two seasons. Tim has started at the center postition these past two seasons and as a sophomore gave a lift off the varsity bench in the post. He is a captain of this years team. Tim was named an All-Conference tight end this past year for the Bulldog football tem and looks to play football in college.

Tim Bliefnick: Tim has played three years of basketball at Saint Teresa, all starting varsity. Tim is a strong inside pressence for the Bulldogs and is a hard worker on the rebounding end. This is Bliefnicks first season back after choosing to work on football skils during the basketball season last year. The team is glad to have Tim back in the program and aprpreciate his hard work. Bliefnick earned All-State honors this past fall during his duties to the Bulldog football team. Tim also looks to play football in college.

Adam McCoy: Adam has dress four years on the varsity squad and has started in three of them. Adam is a verbal leader for this years team. He has sometimes taken over games this season with his offensive pressence. McCoy is leading the team in scoring for the year and just recorded his 1,000 career point at Meridian. McCoy is  a hard working individual in practice and in games. Adam looks to perhaps play basketball in college.

Seniors: Thank you for your years here at Saint Teresa. We have had a great time watching you perform. But your duties are not over. We would love to see the Bulldog team with your help go far in the post season. Thank You and Good Luck!
 
 

MACON -- It's tough to beat a team three times, the Saint Teresa Bulldogs knew that and were trying to keep the Meridian Hawks from accoplishing the feat Tuesday night in Macon.

The Bulldogs came out with hustle and desire but just were not able to execute early. The Bulldogs fell behind in the first but battled back to be one point down heading into the locker room at the half, 33-32.

The Bulldogs were not able to manage to cut into the Hawk lead early in the third period. However the Hawks managed to build their lead up to 12. Meridian lead heading into the fourth quarter by 10 points.

Saint Teresa played the fourth quarter about even until four minutes to go,when the Bulldogs began to cut into the 10 point lead. With four minutes to play and down 10 the Bulldogs came up with crucial defensive stops, allowing them to cut the lead to 3 with 2 minutes remaining.

With 35 seconds left the leadd was still at 3 points before the Bulldogs fouled Hawk guard Brandon Wendell, who connected on one of two free throws increasing the lead to 4. Bulldogs point guard managed to bank in a three pointer with about 3-4 seconds remaining on the clock. After discussions on how much time was remaining the refferees left the clock with 1.6 seconds remaining.

The Bulldogs fouled immediately somehow having 1.3 seconds ticking off leaving 0.2 on the clock before Meridian missed a free throw and the Bulldogs desperation shot fell short. The final score ended Hawks 61, Bulldogs 60.

DECATUR -- With two regular season home games remaining, the Saint Teresa Bulldogs had only won one a home conference game. The team felt they owed the home town fans a win. What else could be better than knocking off than the conference unbeaten Sullivan Redskins?

Sullivan jumped out to an early 8-2 lead before the Bulldogscould strike back and eventually take the lead by the end of the first eight minutes, 19-15.

The Redskins did battle back taking back the lead for the majority of the second quarter. The Bulldogs defense responded though in the last three minutes of the half before tying the ballgame right before the half time buzzer sounded, 33-33.

The Redskins would not die, cutting the bulldog lead to 3 points with only 4 minutes remaining in regulation. Saint Teresa's offense and defense buckled down in the final minutes of play. With Bulldog defensive stops the Redskins were forced to foul. They may have mad a mistake though, fouling senior guard Adam McCoy who sinked all of his free throws in the final minutes. The buzzer sounded with the home Bulldogs victorious 70-65 over the now conference beaten redskins.
ADAM McCOY: 21 pts.

 The Bulldogs recieved a huge rebounding 
effort by Senior Tim Brilley who also contributed 18 points. The Bulldogs also recieved a double digit game from junior guard/forward Bill Riebock who nailed two big three pointers down the stretch in the win. Leading all Bulldogs scorers was senior guard Adam McCoy who finished with 21 points.

The bulldogs look to pick up win number 19 and seek revenge on Tuesday when they travel to Macon to take on the Meridian Hawks. The Hawks have beaten the Bulldogs twice this season, once by one in the Macon Coutny Tournament Championship game by three and the other at the Conference Tournament in overtime by eight points. The Bulldogs may be without the duties of Sean Lipka (injured finger in Sullivan game Friday, hopeful) and Tim Bliefnick (still tender sprained ankle, reinjured Tuesday in Monticello). Thank you for your support and hope to see you in Macon! JV GAMETIME: 6:15. Junior Varsity is 6-1 in Okaw play.

MONTICELLO -- Fourteen lead changes are two stats that prove how close Tuesday evenings game between the Saint Teresa Bulldog and the Monticello Sages was.

The Bulldogs got off to a slow start, falling eight points behind (14-6) Josh Clark and the Sages. Clark lead all scorers in the first eight minutes with eight points.

The second quarter brought about better offense desicions and execution on the Bulldog end of the floor. Trailing by as much as 11, the bulldogs came back before the half time buzzer to trail by seven.

The Bulldogs came out in the third quarter with more fight, taking the lead at one point and trailing by only by two points (42-40) going into the final period.

The fourth quarter was back and forth, eight lead changes. The Bulldogs took a 53-50 lead with 2:00 remaining when Tony Samuelson nailed a three point field goal from the top of the key.

The Sages answered with a 1:34 remaining with a Clark layup, cutting the bulldog lead to 53-52. The bulldogs failed top score on the offensive end allowing the Sages to take a 54-53 lead with 0:54 remaining. Saint Teresa wasn't going to settle , senior guard Adam McCoy hit a field goal on the offensive end to give the Bulldogs a one point lead.

The crucial play off the game came on the Sages end wit the ball in Clark's hands. Clark drove the lane and put up and in a left handed layup with 18 seconds remaining. With the sages up one the Bulldogs set up a play the put the ball in  Bill Riebock's hand with the time winding dow. Riebock's fade away as the buzzer sounded bounced off the rim and out, giving the Sages the 56-55 victory.

This loss mathmatically eliminates the Bulldogs from the conference championship race. The Bulldogs will host the Conference leading Sullivan Redskins on Friday. It is "Pack the Place" night. JV:6:00

BLOOMINGTON -- Coming off emotional losses to Maroa and Meridian this past week in the Okaw Tournament Saint Teresa needed a win, bad. That is what they got Saturday night when they traveled to Bloomington to take on the Saints from Central Catholic, 49-36.

The Bulldogs played almost and emotionless first half. Anyone could see the fatigue in their eyes from last night's loss. Central Catholic held a 26-18 lead at the half time session.

But in the second half the Bulldogs came out with plenty of emotion, charging back to win the third quarter period by 11 points and carry a three point lead into the final quarter. The Bulldog defense only allowed four Saint points in the third quarter.

Once again stepping up the defensive effort in the fourth quarter the Bulldogs pulled away outscoring the Saints 16-6 in the final eight minutes. The second half Saturday night might have been the best defensive effort by this Bulldog team since Christmas, only allowing 10 points in 16 minutes of play.

Senior guard, Adam McCoy, lead the team in scoring with 21 points. McCoy was accompanied by junior forward, Nick Grace, and senior center, Tim Brilley, both pouring in double-figures for the second straight night with 10 a piece. Senior forward, Tim bliefnick didn't play for the second game in a row Saturday. Bliefnick hopes to be back next week.

This win is the 17th of the season for the Bulldogs. Saint Teresa will travel to Monticello Tuesday to take on the Sages. Monticello is coming off winning the Okaw Tourament this past week. The Sages were preseason favorites to win the Conference. JV: 6:00 Varsity: 30 min. after JV conclusion.

SHELBYVILLE -- This past Friday brought about placement games at the Okaw Valley Conference Tournament. The Bulldogs and Hawks were not playing in the game they wanted to but had to find motivation to play elsewhere. Pride.

Fridays early game was back and forth throughout with the Hawks taking and 3 point lead after the first quarter. But to foreshadow the happenings later in the game the Bulldogs came back in the second, winning the quarter be 6, and took a three point lead into the half time session.

In the first three minutes of the third quarter the Bulldogs took control pushing their lead to 9 before the Hawks used a timeout. The Hawks jumped right back at the Bulldogs  cutting the lead quickly. The score was even going into the final eight minutes.

The fourth quarter was in the Bulldogs hands with three minutes to play. Saint Teresa had as much as a 4 point lead with 20 second remaining in regulation. Meridian scored to cut the lead to two before they could foul senior center Tim Brilley who made one of two free throws with 11 seconds remaining. Meridian senior forward Brandon Windell dribbled the length of the floor to throwup a three pointer to tie the game at 64-64 after regulation.

Overtime was controlled by the Hawks who outscored Saint Teresa 8-2 in the four minute period. The final score was 72-66 in Meridians favor. The Bulldogs were lead by senior guard Adam McCoy's 18 pts., senior center Tim Brilley's 17 pts., and a 16 pt., 12 reb. effort from junior forward Nick Grace. Senior forward Tim Bliefnick did not play due to a sprained ankle.

The Bulldogs will have to bounce back Saturday night when they travel to Bloomington to take on the Saints from Central Catholic at "The Pit." Bliefnick will also sit this game out. This is a very important gamefor the team, bouncing back after two straight losses and trying to set a right tone for the rest of the season. 

SHELBYVILLE -- Tuesday night the Saint Teresa Bulldogs failed to advance to Friday nights Okaw Valley Conference Tournament Championship game when they lost 70-56 to the Maroa-Forsyth Trojans.

In the first two quarters it seemed as if the Trojans couldn't miss a field goal. The Trojans dead-eye shooting propelled them to a ten point half time lead.

The second half brought about a better defensive effort from the Bulldogs. But throughout the half the Bulldogs were not able to capitalize and take advantage of defensive stops.

The Dawgs cut the lead to as few as six but were not able to cut it any closer. The final score ended with the Trojans victorious 70-56.

The Bulldogs will play in the third place game back down in Shelbyville on Friday against Meridian at 6:00. The Hawks defeated the Bulldogs earlier in the season in the Macon County Champioship game.

SHELBYVILLE -- Coming off a one-point loss Tuesday to play the same team the following game, the Bulldogs needed no more incentive to win Saturday's rematch with Clinton.

Adam McCoy made his presence known early, scoring all 15 Bulldog points of the first quarter. The team followed McCoy's 26 first half points taking a 6 point lead into the half-time session. 

McCoy and the Bulldogs concentration and execution on the defensive end allowed the Bulldogs to make big plays down the stretch. The final score ended with a 64-53 Bulldog victory.

In surviving the first round of the Conference Tournament, the Bulldogs play Maroa-Forsyth Tuesday in the Semi-finals. Maroa was lead by a 40 point performance from Blake Grider to defeat #2 seeded Sullivan Saturday. GAME TIME: 6:00

Decatur -- This one may be referred to as the one that got away.

The St. Teresa boys basketball team led from nearly start to finish, but a shot by Klye Madix with 9 seconds lifted the Clinton Maroons to a 45-44 Okaw Valley Confrence road win.

The Dawgs trailed only twice -- 3-0 in the opening minutes and 45-44 in the final seconds.  The Dawgs, who scored their lowest point total of the season, were semingly in command the entire night, until the second half of the fourth quarter. 

St. Teresa led 23-13 at the break and maintained that ten-point margin at the outset of the fourth quarter.  Then the Maroons began to chip away.

Madix, quiet much of the night, hit several key threes to pull the game tight.  Then, with 9.6 seconds to play, he hit a jumper from the right baseline to give the Maroons thier first lead since the 6 minute mark of the first quarter.  The Dawgs had three attempts to move back in front, but could not convert.

Sean Lipka did give the Dawgs a nice lift in the third quarter, pacing the offense and setting the tone on the defensive end.  Tim Brilley and Bill Riebock were also effective.

The Dawgs will be out for revenge this coming Saturday when they will take on these same Maroons in the opening round of the Okaw Valley Confrence tournament.

DECATUR -- When the Shelbyville Rams come to town during basketball season you always know you will be in for a tough task. Although a Rams team that is struggling to record wins will still put up a great fight. And that is what they did Friday night at Saint Teresa.

The Rams came back from a nine point deficit in the first half. Shelbyville did as mich as to have a three point lead going into half-time.

The Bulldogs would have no more though in the second half. The Bulldogs were determined to protect their home turf which was taken from them last Friday and would have no more of that.

Saint Teresa narrowed the slim lead and took control of the lead for goo just before the third quarter buzzer sounded. The Bulldog defense stepped up big in the fourth quarter, coming up with key defensive stops. However on many of the stops whe Bulldogs were not able to cash in on the offensive end. 

The Bulldogs pulled away to a nine point lead though with about three minutes left in the fourth quarter. The final score ended with the home team ahead 56-51.

With this win the Bulldogs reach a key point in any teams season, picking up 15 wins, and tripled their win total of last season. The Bulldogs will go for #16 Tuesday against the Clinton Maroons, once again at home. This is the first of two meetings between these teams in one week. The Maroons and Bulldogs will have a second meeting again next Saturday in the Conference Tournament at Shelbyville.

ARGENTA -- Tuesday night the Bulldogs traveled to Argenta and picked up their second win of the conference season against the Bombers. An explosion of points in the fourth quarter helped in the 79-60 victory.

The game remained close until the fourth quarter when the Bulldogs six point lead kept growing and growing. Numerous steals and easy transition baskets led the uproar of points for the visiting team.

By the time the buzzer sounded the Bulldogs had a comfortable 19 point lead and an impressive Okaw Valley Conference win.

Senior center Tim Brilley (who also scored 4 TDs against Argenta's Football Team) lead the Bulldogs in scoring tonight with a near career high 26 points. While the Bombers were led in scoring by Andy Luedke.

The Bulldogs are back at home this Friday when another Okaw opponent comes to town. The Rams from Shelbyville High, led by senior guard Trever Storm, will come to town looking to down the Bulldogs. This win improved the Bulldogs record to 14-3 overall and 2-1 in the conference.

The basketball teams enjoys playing in front of a home crowd, but when a crowd is loud and encouraging them on throughout the game  it makes them want to play even harder for you. A home court adavantage is huge in basketball and the Bulldogs want to have their home court intimidating to play on by having a crucial sixth-man in big situations. That sixth man must be you, THE FANS! 

So when the team is in big situations and needs a little boost the crowd needs to be louder than it has, especially at home. I ask you now to please keep coming to the ballgames but do your best to cheer on the players and give them the boost they need to get through a game and come out with a victory.

The players value their fans and love to have you there being as loud as you can to support the Bulldogs. 

DECATUR -- Friday the Maroa-Forsyth Trojans came to Saint Teresa and took over the gymnasium, turning it into a loud crowd supporting the Trojans. Loud crowd support and key plays propeled the Trojans to their second Okaw victory of the conference season.

The Bulldogs played with a lead most of the first half until with about 3 minutes left when Maroa's senior guard Blake Grider took full control of the game. The home team had crucial turnovers late int he half allowing the Trojans and their fans to get into the game and take a 6 point lead after two quarters of play.

In the first eight minutes of the second half the bulldogs played even to the Trojans keeping the lead at 6 (50-44) going into the final quarter.

With only eight minutes left in the ballgame the Bulldogs needed to make up points and come up with key defensive stops down the stretch, which they were not able to do. The Bulldogs broke down mentally as the game went along and didn't hit crucial free throws or block out well down the stretch.

This was the Bulldogs first conference loss of the season (1-1). With this loss at home th Bulldogs will need big games down the stretch in the conference season to keep hopes of winning a conference championship, which is still very possible. 

The Bulldogs travel to Argenta-Oreana Saturday to take on the Bombers. With this loss the Bulldogs should look starved for a taste of victory against the rival Bombers. JV GAMETIME: 6:00. 

Villa Grove -- Over the course of a season, many times teams will have to find ways to win when they do not have their full roster availabe.  Tuesday night, St. Teresa did just that in a 67-48 win over Villa Grove.

Tim Brilley had his best game since his return from a sprined ankle in December.  Brilley -- who missed three games himself -- returned guard Adam McCoy a favor by boosting the offense in McCoy's absence.  The Bulldog's leading scorer did not play due to illness.

Brilley and the Dawgs interior players consitantly had their way against the Blue Devil defense.  Along with Brilley,  senior Tim Bliefnick and junior Nick Grace had solid performances int the Dawgs frontcourt attack.

Bill Riebock ran the point for the majority of the night and also was solid.

The Dawgs will now get back to Okaw play Friday night in a game with the Maroa-Forsyth Trojans.  The Dawgs beat their rivals from the north by 17 in December at the county tournament. 

WARRENSBURG -- Despite not playing to the best of their capabilities for most of the game the Saint Teresa Bulldogs came away victorious Friday night to start their Okaw Valley Conference Season. For the second time of the season the Bulldogs have defeated Warrensburg, this time by a final of 60-45.

In the first eight minutes you could tell it would be a physical game with alot of fouls, and that is what it was. The Cardinals are known for uglying up the game and that is exactly what they did. At the end of the first quarter only 18 points were put on the scoreboard with  Warrrensburg in the lead 10-8.

The second quarter wasn't much prettier. The first half of basketball was an ugly story of too many turnovers turnovers and not being able to hit a shot on either end. The half-time score favored the Cardinals by 2, 18-16.

After the half Bulldog fans were hoping for a breakout quarter but it wasn't exactly what they imagined with the Bulldogs having only won the quarter by two points and only managing to go into the final eight minutes with a tie ball game, 31-31.

It was a battle that lasted about 40 minutes (Not an exaggeration) for the final eight minutes of basketball. Foul after foul was called along with a couple of referee meetings, it lasted forever. But in the meanwhile the Bulldogs scored 29 points propelling them to a 15 point victory over the Cardinals.

The Bulldogs improve their record to 12-2 on the season and pick up their first conference win of the season (1-0). This victory also gave the Bulldogs a seven game win streak. Saint Teresa is in action again Tuesday night when they travel to Villa Grove. This is only one of two non conference games remaining on the schedule for the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs would love to see you there, but if you have to study for exams THEY UNDERSTAND.

DECATUR -- After winning the Clinton Holiday Tournament WAND TV named the Saint Teresa Bulldog boy's basketball team the "Athletes of the Week" for the week of January 1-6.
CONGRATULATIONS TEAM!!

1-4-01 
(Lon Tay, WAND Sports)
When it comes to discussing St. Teresa athletics, the talk -- and righfully so -- usually centers on football. Bulldogs basketball coach, Todd Vohland wants to change that a bit. 

Adam McCoy/Bulldogs Senior: "When coach first arrived he said that he heard this was just a football school and that he wanted to change that. Then, our first practice we had like fifty guys out and he said does it look like just a football school now ?" 

Tim Brilley/Bulldogs Senior: "We've had good teams in the past and there's no reason that can't happen again. St. Teresa is a football school, but I don't know why we can't have both." 
At 11 and 2, the Bulldogs have sent a message to other area teams. In fact, St. Teresa already claimed one championship and one second place showing in early season tournaments, giving the program a much needed confidence boost. 

Todd Vohland/Bulldogs Coach: "We told them when we started that we expected them to play in big games. Even finishing second at the Macon County tournament was big because of the atmosphere. It was a big springboard and it showed us that when regionals roll around, we'll be able to perform in big games." 

Lon Tay/WAND Sports: "With St. Teresa going nine deep every game, the Bulldogs obviously have the depth and balance, but they also have something every other team would like - a proven scorer. Senior Adam McCoy is averaging 21 points a game." 

McCoy: "I went to a couple of summer camps and gained a lot of confidence. At one All-Star camp, I played on a winning team and everything's much easier when you're winning." 

Vohland: "Adam can score when someone is on him and that's something most Class A kids can't do. He's risen up in big games." 

Two things Vohland hopes will continue: McCoy as an offensive threat, and St. Teresa playing in big games. 

December

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12/27-29/00

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12/29/00
CHAMPS!
St. Teresa 70, St. Bede 67
McCoy brings home MVP,
Bulldogs bring home Hardware

CLINTON -- It took ten years but all the waiting was worth it. The Bulldogs recorded five wins in three days to bring home the 2000 Clinton Holiday Tournament Championship title. The last time the Bulldogs won the tournament was in 1990.

Friday night was a tough and physical game for both teams, testing their mental and physical stamina being their fifth game in three days and second of the day. The Bulldogs trailed by five points with 1:10 remaining in the fourth quarter, but no hope was lost on the Bulldog side. 

The Bulldogs needed points and needed them quick. The comeback was sparked by a Sean Lipka offensive rebound and put back to cut the lead to 3 under a minute. St. Bede failed to execute on their free thows keeping it a 3 point margin. Nick Grace then came up with 2 points down low to cut the lead to one.

Coming out of a time out the Bulldogs needed a steal and that is just what they got. Senior Adam McCoy intercepted the second pass inbounds and was fouled. McCoy went to the line and sank both free throws propeling the Bulldogs into the lead for good.

Bill Riebock also played a huge game for the Dawgs.  He gave a warrior like effort on the boards and contributed sixteen points to the Bulldogs effort.  Riebock - along with Tim Bliefnick - was snubbed from the all-tournament team.

McCoy lead the Bulldogs all night by pouring in a season and career high 37 points. McCoy was also rewarded after the game by recieving plaques for being a member of the All-Tournament Team and also being voted the Most Valuable player of the Holiday Tournament. Congratulations Adam "Reggie"!!

The Bulldogs showed true composure and confidence throughout this tournament. The Bulldogs won five games in three days to bring home this title. The Bulldogs also recorded their tenth and now eleventh win of the season. The Bulldogs have a full week off in between games and will take on Okaw Conference foe Warrensburg-Latham in Warrensburg next Friday, January 5. 
Check back Saturday afternoon for Game Pictures!

CLINTON -- For the second game in a row the Bulldogs from Saint Teresa High School have not played their best but managed to find a way to win. The Bulldogs hung on to a slim lead throughout the second half to defeat the host Clinton Maroons by a final of 63-58 to advance to Friday night's championship.

The Bulldogs played a first half to be imbarassed by. Clinton pulled down way too many offensive rebounds and were given way too many easy points. But the Bulldogs, to their credit, kept the game close and were only down 4 points at the half.

Coming out charged and determined the Bulldogs quickly tied and took the lead away from the Marooons and battled them down to the wire. Clinton Managed to tie the ball game in the fourth quarter on a thre point field goal by Kyle Madix but would not overtake the Bulldogs again in the game. The final minutes came down to the Bulldogs hitting big free throws to ice the victory.

The Bulldogs will go to war once again Friday night in the Championship against the St. Bede Bruins. The Bruins are 3-1 in the holiday tournament. This is the second meeting of the two ball clubs in as many days. The Bulldogs were victorious Thursday night (51-48) in a great ball game. This is the Bulldogs second Tournament Championship in three weeks. This time the Bulldogs look to beat the Bruins twice in two days and bring home the BIG TROPHY!

CLINTON -- It wasn't pretty, but the St. Teresa Bulldogs knocked off top-seeded St. Bede 51-48 Thursday night at the Clinton Holiday tournament.  St. Teresa finsished pool play with a perfect 3-0 record, claiming the top spot in the maroon pool. 

St. Teresa got off to a nice start in the first half, building a 14-point halftime margin at 32-18.  The Dawgs would lead by as many as 16 before St. Bede made its run. 

The Dawgs, once again, got a solid effort from senior guard Adam McCoy.  McCoy sparked the offense with ten quick points in the opening quarter.  McCoy was complimented by the solid offensive play of forward Tim Bliefnick at the game’s outset.  Kyle Vaux would also provide a scoring and rebounding presence off the bench.

St. Bede made a big run at the Dawgs late in the third and fourth quarters.  Behind center J.A. Happ and guard Mike Adreoni, the Bruins were able to cut deep into the Bulldog lead.  The Dawgs, however, were able to make enough of their free throws down the streach to end any hope for the Bruins.

The Dawgs will now take on the host school and Okaw Valley foe Clinton at noon Friday.  St. Teresa will then play at either 6pm or at 7:30 for the tournament championship.  The last time St. T won the Clinton tournament was in 1990. 

CLINTON -- The Saint Teresa Bulldogs may have played their worst half of basketball of the season Wednesday afternoon against the Colfax-Ridgeview Mustangs but still managed to come out with a win. Saint Teresa outscored Ridgeview by 14 points in the final eight minutes of play to defeat the Mustangs by a final score of 60-54.

Senior guard Adam McCoy shined once again in the second game of the day scoring 25 points and pulling down 6 rebounds. McCoy is leading the tournament in scoring with scoring 46 points (23 ppg)  in the first two games. 

Junior Bill Riebock also added 10 points on the offensive end for the Bulldogs. Senior forward Tim Bliefnick showed off some of his muscle in the afternoon game by being an inside offensive presence and also pulled down 6 rebounds. 

The Bulldogs recorded their second win of the holiday tournament and assured themselves a chance to play for a trophy on Friday night.

The Bulldogs look to upset the number one seed, Peru-St. Bede Bruins, and claim first place of the gold pool tomorrow night at 8 p.m.

CLINTON -- The Saint Teresa Bulldogs got off to the start they wanted at the Clinton Holiday Tournament with a 33 point stomping of the Arcola Purple Riders. The Bulldogs and Riders kicked off the 18th annual Tournament at 9 Wednesday morning.

The Bulldogs recieved big games from Senior Adam McCoy and Junior Scott Althoff. McCoy lead the way early scoring ten points in the first eight minutes. Althoff produced big numbers for the Bulldogs by recording steal after steal resulting in fast breaks and easy points for the Bulldogs. 

The game was also highlighted with the return of Senior center Tim Brilley. Brilley sat out the Bulldogs last three games after suffering a severe ankle sprain against Maroa-Forsyth in the Macon County Tournament.

The Bulldogs need a win tonight over Colfax-Ridgeview or tomorrow night when they play Peru-St. Bede to secure a spot in trophy play on Friday. Tonight the Bulldogs look to take advantage of another opportunity and put themself in great position heading into the last two days of the tournament when they play Colfax-Ridgeview this afternoon at 5:30. 

CLINTON -- Next week is a big week for the Bulldogs, when they participate in the 18th Annual Clinton Holiday Tournament. Saint Teresa is the third seed in the tournament. The team has high expectations for the holiday tournament after proving to themselves and their fans that they can hang with tough teams at the Macon County Tournament. The Bulldogs placed second after losing by three points to the Meridian Hawks.

The Bulldogs kick off the whole tournament Wednesday morning when they face the Arcola Purple Riders at 9 a.m. The Riders are led by senior forward, David Bales, and senior guard, Jason Conn. The Riders were 2-14 last season and looking to turn things around this season. These teams met up last season at the Holiday tournament. The Bulldogs defeated the Riders 62-49 with big contribution from Adam McCoy who dropped in 31 points.

The Bulldogs also have a night game on Wednesday against Colfax Ridgeview at 5:30 p.m.. This is the first year Ridgeview has participated in this Tournament. The Mustangs are coached by Rodney Kellar. This first day of the tournament will test the conditioning of both teams in their second game of the day. The champion of the tournament will have to battle in 5 games in three days (2-1-2). The Bulldogs feel confident and have high hopes for this Holiday Season to set the tone for the remainder of the season. Good Luck Bulldogs!

St. Teresa uses big first half to bury Hartsburg-Emden

Hartsburg -- St. Teresa came out of the locker room hitting on all cylinders and hammered Hartsburg-Emden 86-57 Tuesday night.  The Dawgs built a 50-18 half-time lead and cruised from there.

Once again, senior marksman Adam McCoy sparked the offense by hitting his first several open looks.  The Bulldogs also got solid contributions from Juniors Bill Riebock and Sean Lipka in the big half.  Juniors Scott Althoff and Kyle Vaux also came off the bench and were major contributors.

The Bulldogs did get a scare, however, when Senior power forward Tim Bliefnick twisted his ankle taking a charge late in the second quarter.  Bliefnick's status will be re-evaluated later this week.

St. T now looks ahead to the Clinton Holiday Tournament beginning Wednesday, December 27.  The Dawgs will play a twin bill on the tournament's opening day.  They will matchup with 6th seed Arcola at 9:00am followed by a tilt with #7 seed Colfax Ridgeview at 5:30pm.  Come up to Clinton and support the Dawgs!!

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12/12-15/00

 First Round; Bulldogs 77, Trojans 60

Thriller until the buzzer, Hawks go home with County Crown

MOWEAQUA -- What a game to finish the 2000-2001 Macon County Tournament. A thriller. Through a tournament where close games became habit the championship game proved to be no different. In a packed Central A&M gymnasium with snow falling and high winds blowing the Meridian Hawks defeated the Saint Teresa Bulldogs for the County Title, 72-69.

The game started out with a 4-0 Hawk lead before the Bulldogs could manage to work some offense. But before the first eight minutes had ended the Hawks maintained a two point lead, 20-18. The Bulldogs came at the Hawks hard in t he second quarter and taking the lead during stretches, but a pivotal late quarter come-back and buzzer beater to tie the ball game at 35 all gave the Hawks some momentum going into the half time break.
In the third the Hawks applied full court pressure on the Bulldogs which allowed them to get some easy steals and some easy points. The third quarter was ruled by the Hawks which gave them a seven point lead going into the final quarter. The Bulldogs knew they had eight minutes to give it their all, and that is what they did. Charging back from the seven point deficit to take the lead with about three minutes to play. The key down the stretch though proved to be big stops on defense and hitting free throws. Down the stretch the Bulldogs gave up two easy buckets and missed four free throws down the stretch. On the other end the Hawks went 5-6 from the line in the final minute.

MOWEAQUA -- On Friday night the Bulldogs may have finally gained some respect, by defeating top-seeded Warrensburg-Latham to send them to the Championship game of the Macon County Tournament on Saturday night. In a nail-biter all the way, the Bulldogs prevailed with a 57-50 victory.

The first quarter got off to a slow start before the Bulldogs finally reached double digits on their final possession to take a five point lead (10-5) after eight minutes of play. The Cardinals struck back with a vengence, outscoring the Dawgs by eitght to take a three point lead into the locker room.

The Dawgs needing to overcome that three point half-time defecit came out with a storm tying the game and taking the lead with help of senior guard Adam "Reggie" McCoy leading the way for the quarter and the night. Adam lead the team in scoring with 25 points. With eight minutes remaining the Bulldogs maintained the lead. The Cardinals would never equal or overcome the Bulldogs again in the game.

But the fourth quarter was a battle and in striking distance for the Cardinals until with one minute remaining when junior guard Sean Lipka burried a jumpshot, pretty much putting an end to all Cardinal hope. The final score ended with the Bulldogs in favor 57-50.

MOWEAQUA -- Due to significant amounts of snow falling Wednesday, the Wednesday night Consolation bracket games will not be played on Wednesday night. The games will be made up on Thursday and the future schedule will be pushed back a day to accommodate for the rescheduling.

The Saint Teresa Bulldogs will now play their game against number one seed Warrensburg-Latham on Friday night at 6:15. Any other future changes will be posted here. Please check back frequently for tournament results. Thank You!

MOWEAQUA -- From tip to the final buzzer the intensity on the Bulldog side could not be matched by Maroa. The bench, crowd, and most of all the players on the court were very excited to play this game and played with fire in their hearts.

Saint Teresa used dead-eye shooting and defensive pressure helping them jump out to an 21-13 lead by the time eight minutes were through. The bulldogs did not trail again. The bulldogs pushed the lead to seventeen (40-27) before the mid-way break. 

The bulldogs played a solid third quarter before they recieve a huge boost going into the fourth quarter when Junior Kyle Vaux hit a three-pointer with three seconds remaining. In the fourth the trojans fought their way back to within ten points but just found theirself back where they started, behind 16, after three bulldog defensive stances. The final score ended with a bulldog victory, 77-60.

Thursday night the bulldogs will face the #1 seed Warrensburg-Latham Cardinals for a chance to play in the County Championship on Friday. Game time is set for 5:30.

MOWEAQUA -- The Macon County Tournament will resume tomorrow, pending all weather happenings, with rescheduled tip-off between Saint Teresa and Maroa- Forsyth for 4:45. Listen to Y103 and watch WAND tomorrow for list of closings. You can also check in with this site or call the school office at (217) 875-2431.

We will update this page as soon as we know. We not have this information until tomorrow morning.

STUDENTS -- Please listen to tomorrow's morning announcements for a rescheduled game time.
OTHERS -- For information on game time please check in here frequently or you can also recieve information by calling the school office at (217)875-2431.

Thank you and remain safe during the hazardous weather.

Decatur -- Friday night was a waltz for the Saint Teresa Bulldogs when they walked past cross-town Decatur Christian. The Bulldogs pulled down forty-nine rebounds and defeated the Warriors by forty-eight points (81-33). For the second straight game though St. T came out of the gates slow not managing to get things going right off the tip. The gates did open late in the first quarter as the Bulldogs pushed the lead to 17-4 after eight minutes of play.

Carrying over from the first quarter the second quarter was much of the same, Bulldog domination. Scott Althoff caught fire in the second helping stretch the half time lead to twenty-seven points (42-15). 

The second half brought more of the same for the home crowd (cleverly dressed in summer attire). The final score ended up as a bulldog route 81-33. Scott Althoff led all scorers with 15 points. This victory improves the Bulldogs record to 3-1 headed into their first tournament of the season. The Bulldogs tip-off the Macon County Tournament Monday night against Okaw Conference opponent Maroa-Forsyth.
HOPE TO SEE ALL OF YOU THERE!

MOWEAQUA- The pairings for the County Tournament held at Central A&M High School have been released and the Bulldogs recieved a four seed and will face five seed Maroa-Forsyth in the first round. The Bulldogs will play the Trojans Monday and will be the second game at approxamately 7 o'clock.

Decatur -- Coming off of a tough road loss the night before, the St. Teresa Bulldogs opened their home schedule in impressive fashion by defeating the Clay City Wolves 74-42. The Bulldogs got off to sort of a slow start but played a very impressive second and third quarter defense which allowed them to score layup after layup burrying the Wolves.

The Bulldog defense was a little to aggressive in the first quarter picking up unnecessary fouls. These mistakes were cleared up and made up for by the defense they played in the second and third quarters.

Marty Lindeman was the top point man for Clay City putting in 13 points. The Bulldogs were lead in scoring by Sean Lipka with 13 points, six rebounds, and four steals and Nick Grace added 11 points. Tim Bliefnick pulled down 10 rebounds.

Home Opener- The Bulldogs Open up their home schedule Saturday, December, 2. The Bulldogs will face the Wolves of Clay City. This is the first meeting of the two schools. Clay City is predicting a 20 win season. Come support the dawgs as they try to do their best to halt the Wolves predictions. EARLY START: The JV game will start at 5 p.m. and be directly followed by the Varsity Matchup.

Mowequa -- Rebounding and free throws were keys aspects in Central A&M's victory over the Bulldogs Friday night. The Raiders executed on second chances given to them. Central A&M was lead by a balance offensive attack.

     Fouls troubles nagged at the Bulldogs all night with having all but on starter with two fouls going into the break. The foul trouble forced the bulldogs to go deep into their bench using ten different players in the first sixteen minutes. Despite foul troubles the bulldogs went into the half only three points behind the raiders. 

    The third quarter was full of runs by both teams. One minute it appear the bulldogs were about to take the lead but the raiders would strike back With about four minutes remaining in the quarter Central A&M opened un the lead to double digits.

    In the final eight minutes of play A&M opened up as big of a lead as 18 points. But the bulldogs never gave up until the final horn. The final scored ended up St. Teresa 59, Central A&M 71.

Springfield -- Seniors Adam McCoy and Tim Brilley formed an effective inside-outside duo as the St. Teresa boys basketball team disposed of Springfield Ursuline 76-39 Tuesday night. 

McCoy drilled four three pointers en route to 18 for the game while Brilley flexed his muscle on the interior for 14.

St. T led 35-23 at the break before erupting in the third quarter, outscoring the Sonics 24-5 to take a 59-28 lead to put the game out of reach.

McCoy and Brilley led a well balaced attack that saw eleven Bulldogs score - six with at least eight points.

One major highlight of the night was the return to the lineup of Senior Tim Bliefnick after a one year layoff.  Bliefnick scored four points, but was a force inside collecting five boards.

Springfield Ursuline was led by Senior Andy LaFata's 10 points.

Decatur -- The days are numbered and everyone at Saint Teresa is focused on Tuesday night's season opener against Springfield. This game is the first time the Bulldogs will be able to put to use all their hard work in the off season. The Bulldogs strength this season may be their amount of depth. With three seniors and eleven juniors on the team, experience should not be a factor. The bulldogs also look to be bigger and stronger on the inside. The two main inside forces for the Bulldogs will be Seniors Tim Brilley and Tim Bliefnick. Brilley has started Varsity since his Sophomore year and Bliefnick is coming back from a year away from basketball. Both Tims look to contribute greatly to this Bulldog team.

     After defeating the Sonics twice last season the bulldogs look to continue the streak and start the season out the right way Tuesday when they travel to Springfield. The Sonics come into the game with great excitement and new leadership. Not only with they be kicking off a brand new season but they will be kicking off a brand new era of Sonic basketball. These are the factors the bulldogs will have to deal with Tuesday night when they travel to Ursuline Academy  to face the Sonics. The Junior Varsity game tips-off at 6:15 followed shortly after by the Varsity match-up. Come support the Dawgs!!

Decatur -- In front of friends and family Friday night, the Saint Teresa Basketball team played their annual scrimmage. With uniforms flipping every time a player hit the sideline no clear winner was found. This was the closest thing to a game-like experience the Bulldogs will play with before Tuesday's Regular Season opener against Springfield Ursuline.