The Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinals and Howard Tigers squared off in a big Region 4B match-up in Howard on Thursday, February 10th. It was a battle between the top two seeds in the region. The St Mary defense held Howard to just three points in the final quarter for a 54-38 win.
The Cardinals had a lead after every quarter break, but the battle was tough. St Mary held a two-point lead, 14-12, at the end of the first quarter. They maintained that lead throughout the second quarter and led 28-22 at halftime. The Cardinals continued to hold a six-point lead, 30-24, with 5:30 to play in the third quarter. Howard then went on a 9-1 run to take a 33-31 lead with 3:22 to play in the quarter. St Mary responded with a 7-2 run for a 38-35 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
After an early free throw by the Cardinals in the fourth quarter, CJ Smith and Nic Gaspar hit back-to-back three-pointers to give the Cardinals a 45-35 lead with 5:25 to play. Howard’s only basket in the fourth quarter came on a three-pointer with 4:00 to go. St Mary continued to build on their lead, making their free-throws down the stretch, for the victory.
St Mary shot 38% (19-50) from the field, 44% (7-16) from three-point area, and 69% (9-13) from the free-throw line. Howard finished the game shooting 33% (16-48) overall, 2-13 on three pointers, and 4-8 from the free-throw line.
Smith had 18 points, five rebounds, and four steals in the game. John Pica finished with 11 points, five rebounds, five assists, and two steals. Dylan Mathis added 10 points, three rebounds, and two steals. Gaspar had eight points, nine rebounds, five assists, and three steals.