Playing in their second straight day, the Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinal girls survived the Baltic Bulldogs for a 66-61 win on Tuesday, February 8th in Baltic.

The Cardinals got out to a big lead in the first quarter.  They led 27-9 by the quarter break.  Baltic made a big run in the second quarter, outscoring St Mary 22-9 to cut the lead to 36-31 at halftime.  The Bulldogs got the lead down to one point heading into the fourth quarter, 46-45.  St Mary went on a 10-4 run to start the fourth quarter to extend their lead to 56-49 with 5:55 to go in the game.  The Bulldogs pulled within two points again, 60-58, with 2:00 go.  St Mary pushed the lead back to six points, 64-58, with just under a minute to play.  Baltic was only able to get within three, 64-61, before St Mary sealed the victory with two free throws in the closing seconds.

St Mary shot 44% (22-50) from the field, 30% (7-23) from three-point area, and 65% (15-23) from the free-throw line.  The Bulldogs finished 47% (22-47) shooting, 2-8 from three-point area, and 56% (15-27) from the free-throw line.

Three players finished in double figures.  Madala Hanson had 17 points, five rebounds, and four steals.  Ella Griffin finished with 15 points, six rebounds, three assists, and two steals.  Maya Heinitz had 10 points, three rebounds, and two assists. 

The Cardinals will play McCook Central/Montrose in Salem on Friday, February 11th at 11:30 a.m. at the DWU Classic.

A fourth-quarter rally by the Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinal girls was cut short by Arlington on Monday, February 7th.  Arlington held off the rally for a 60-51 win.

Arlington got the advantage late in the first quarter.  St Mary led 10-8 with 2:00 minutes to go, but Arlington went on an 8-0 run and led 16-10 at the break.  After Arlington led by 10 points 23-13 with 2:19 to play in the second quarter, St Mary fought back to cut the lead down to six, 27-21, by halftime.

St Mary was within five points, 31-26, after a three-pointer by Madala Hanson with 6:30 to go in the third quarter.  Arlington went on a 14-7 run the rest of the quarter and led 45-33 going into the fourth quarter.  Maya Heinitz made a three-pointer with 3:39 left in the game to cut the Arlington lead down to 51-46.  Arlington responded with a 5-0 run for a 56-46 lead with :45 to play to hang on for the win.

St Mary shot 46% (20-44) from the field, 38% (8-21) on three pointers, and 3-4 from the free-throw line.  Arlington was 45% (18-40) shooting, 22% (4-18) from three-point area, and 83% (20-24) from the free-throw line.

Madala Hanson had 13 points, two rebounds, and two assists.  Ella Griffin added 10 points, six rebounds, and three assists.  Addyson Gilbert had six points and three rebounds.  Courtney Brown also had six points along with two rebounds and three steals.

The Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinals used a strong first half for a 64-49 road win over the Hills-Beaver Creek Patriots on Monday, January 31st.

The Cardinals were hot from three-point area in the first half and the defensive pressure caused problems for the Patriots.  St Mary built a 34-15 lead by halftime.  The two teams traded baskets throughout the second half.  The Cardinal lead from the first half was too big for the Patriots to overcome.

St Mary finished the game shooting 44% (25-57) overall, 40% (12-30) from three-point area, and 2-6 from the free-throw line.  The Patriots were 44% (19-43) shooting, 33% (6-18) from on three pointers, and 5-14 from the free-throw line.  The Cardinals had 16 fast break points and 24 points off turnovers.  Hills-Beaver Creek had 24 turnovers, 15 of those Cardinal steals.

Ella Griffin hat 16 points, finishing 6-10 on three-pointers, along with three rebounds, four assists, and two steals.  Madala Hanson had 14 points, four rebounds, and two steals.  Maya Heinitz had six points and two assists.  Addyson Gilbert and Addison Libis both had five points each.

St Mary (9-6) will host Arlington on Monday, February 7th.

The Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinal girls ended a three-game losing streak with a 60-42 win over the Alcester-Hudson Cubs at home on Thursday, January 27th.

The two teams traded blows in the first two quarters.  The Cardinals delivered the first blow and built a 14-5 lead by the end of the first quarter.  The Cubs responded in the second quarter outscoring St Mary 17-10.  The Cardinals led 24-22 at halftime.

The Cardinal offense caught fire in the third quarter which put St Mary in control of the game.  St Mary scored 27 points in the third quarter alone and led 51-32 heading into the fourth quarter.  The Cubs had a 10-9 scoring advantage in the fourth quarter, but never threatened the Cardinal lead.

St Mary shot 39% (17-44) from the field, 44% (10-23) from three point area, and 79% (19-24) from the free-throw line.  The team had a total of 23 rebounds and 15 steals.

Ella Griffin finished with a team-high 18 points with four rebounds, three steals, and two blocks.  Maya Heinitz had 10 points, four rebounds, a steal, and an assist.  Whitney Warwick added nine points.  Madala Hanson ended with seven points, and Addy Gilbert had five points.

The Cardinals (8-6) will travel to Hills-Beaver Creek on Monday, January 31st.

The Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinal girls basketball team traveled to Howard for a Region 4B battle against the Tigers on Monday, January 24th.  Despite a fast start, the Cardinals fell to the Tigers 50-64.

The Cardinals were on fire in the first quarter.  They built an eight-point lead, 20-12, but the Tigers started chipping away at that lead.  Howard cut the lead in half by the start of the second quarter, 21-17.  Howard then outscored the Cardinals 18-8 in the second quarter for a 35-28 halftime lead.  Every time the Cardinals tried to make a run in the second half, Howard had an answer.  The Tigers extended their lead to 47-38 by the end of the third quarter.  Howard pulled away late in the game from the free-throw line.

St Mary shot 33% (18-54) in the game, 36% (8-22) from three-point area, and 43% (6-14) from the free-throw line.  Howard finished 41% (22-54) shooting, 1-7 on three pointers, and 66% (19-29) from the free-throw line.

Ella Griffin led the team with 21 points, four rebounds, and two steals.  Madala Hanson added 12 points, five rebounds, and two steals.  Addyson Gilbert finished with six points, five rebounds, and five steals.  Sydney Klein had four points and seven rebounds.  Sierra Klein also had four points.

The Cardinals (7-6) will host the Alcester-Hudson Cubs on Thursday, January 27th.