Photo taken and used with permission by Tammy Chamley
The Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinal boys rally in the fourth quarter came up short as the Elkton-Lake Benton Elks defeated the Cardinals 45-39 on Monday, January 10th.
St Mary had a 6-3 lead in the first quarter, but the Elks held a 14-10 advantage after the quarter ended. The game remained close throughout the second quarter. The Elks still held a lead, 21-19, at halftime. St Mary tied the game 23-23 in the first thirty seconds of the third quarter, but was held to just three points the rest of the quarter. Elkton-Lake Benton led 33-26 heading into the fourth quarter.
That lead grew to 41-28 midway through the fourth quarter. The Cardinals tried to make a furious comeback. A steal by Dylan Mathis and three-pointer by Ty Brown with :36 left in the game cut the Elks lead to 43-39. That was as close as the Cardinals would get as the Elks made two free throws to close out the game.
The Cardinals shot 28% (13-47) from the field, 20% (3-15) from three-point area, and 53% (10-19) from the free-throw line. The Elks finished the game shooting 33% (18-54), 18% (2-11) from three-point area, and 58% (7-12) from the free-throw line.
CJ Smith led the team with nine points and five rebounds. Nic Gaspar had eight points, seven rebounds, and two blocks. John Pica had eight points, six rebounds, and two assists. Ty Brown added seven points and two blocks. Mathis finished with five points, 11 rebounds, three assists, and two steals.