The Vandalia Vandals upset the #2-seeded Effingham St. Anthony Bulldogs, coming away with a 50-48 win in the semifinals of the IHSA Class 2A Regional. Points were hard to come by in the first quarter, with the Bulldogs finding themselves up 15-10 after the first 8 minutes. The two teams would trade baskets in the second quarter, but St. Anthony would outscore the Vandals 14-12 to take a 29-22 halftime lead. Vandalia would chip away at the deficit in the third quarter, going on a 13-8 run, but would still trail 37-35 entering the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs would jump out to a 9-point lead to start the fourth quarter, but Vandalia would not go away quietly, as Qwentyn Stombaugh would convert a pair of three-point plays, before an Andrew Casey layup would tie the game with 50 seconds left. A Bulldogs turnover would give the Vandals the ball back with 28 seconds left in regulation. After a timeout, Stombaugh’s possible game-winner would fall short, but Carter Robbins would come away with the rebound and just get the shot off in time to give the Vandals the 50-48 win. After the game, Robbins talked about the game-winning shot.
Robbins also talked about the emotions he felt after the game.
The win improves the Vandals to 19-14 on the season. Vandalia has advanced to the Regional Championship for the first time since 2013, where they will face Fairfield at 7:00 PM on Friday.
Vandals Scoring:
Qwentyn Stombaugh – 18 points
Andrew Casey – 12 points (8 in the second half)
Lucas Bowers – 9 points
Carter Robbins – 8 points
Brenton McCarty – 3 points
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