Photo taken and used with permission by Sara Stadem
The Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinal girls basketball team won a tough, hard-fought game in their season opener against the Howard Tigers at home on Friday, December 9th.
The Tigers had a small two-point lead at the end of the first quarter, 15-13. The Cardinals started the second quarter on an 8-0 run for a 21-15 advantage. St Mary ended the first half with a 24-18 lead. Howard started the third quarter with an 11-2 run for a 29-26 lead. The Cardinals were able to finished the third quarter with a 6-1 run of their own for a 32-30 advantage.
The fourth quarter was back and forth. The Cardinals led 42-38 with 3:45 to play. Howard responded with four straight points and tied the game 42-42 with about a minute to go. Madala Hanson gave the Cardinals the lead on a jumper and then sealed the victory with two free-throws in the closing seconds.
The Cardinals shot 30% (17-56) from the field, 22% (6-27) from the three-point area, and 60% (6-10) from the free-throw line. Howard finished 36% (13-36) overall, 0-4 on three-point attempts, and 50% (16-32) from the free-throw line. The Cardinal defense also forced 21 Howard turnovers in the game.
Hanson finished with 18 points, six rebounds, and two steals. Ella Griffin had 11 points, three rebounds, four steals, and two assists. Maya Heinitz and Sydney Klein both had four points each. Brianna Griffin had three points, seven rebounds, and two assists. Addison Libis and Whitney Warwick both had three points each as well.
