The Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinal boys basketball team had to grind out a win on Tuesday, December 14th. After scoring 15 points in the opening quarter, St Mary went home with a 41-34 win over the Mitchell Christian Golden Eagles.
The Cardinals got out to an early 9-2 lead with 5:30 to go in the opening quarter. The lead grew to 15-4 with 3:00 left in the quarter, and the Cardinals led 15-7 at the quarter break. The Golden Eagles cut the lead to 15-12 with 5:00 left in the half. St Mary outscored Mitchell Christian 8-2 the rest of the quarter for a 23-14 halftime lead.
The Golden Eagles again got within four points early in the third quarter. St Mary led 23-19 with 5:15 to play in the third quarter and held Mitchell Christian to just one point the rest of the quarter. The Cardinals led 27-20 heading into the final quarter. St Mary then scored eight quick points for a 35-20 advantage with 6:30 left in the game. The Golden Eagles tried to get a comeback going, but the Cardinals held them for a 41-34 victory.
St Mary shot 32% (15-47) from the field, but just 15% (3-20) from three-point area. They were 8-12 from the free-throw line. Mitchell Christian finished the game shooting 30% (11-37) from the field and 32% (6-19) from three-point area, but only 50% (6-12) from the free-throw line.
Three players finished in double figures for St Mary. Dylan Mathis had 12 points four rebounds, three steals, and three assists. CJ Smith also had 12 points along with one rebound and one steal. John Pica had 10 points and five rebounds. Nic Gaspar had four points and four steals. Gabe Lindeman had three points and six rebounds. Ty Brown finished with four rebounds and four assists.
The Cardinals (1-0) will be at Colman-Egan on Friday, December 17th for their next game.