In a battle of top teams in Region 3B, and also Class B boys basketball, the Howard Tigers stopped an eight-game winning streak by the Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinals (13-3) on Thursday, February 9th. The Tigers won the game 60-57.
The game was about as expected between these two teams coming down to the last shot. The Tigers had a 21-15 lead at the end of the first quarter. They extended their lead to 36-27 at halftime. The Cardinals got cut into the lead in the third quarter and trailed 49-46 heading into the final quarter. The fourth quarter as back-and-forth with each team holding leads. St Mary took the lead, 57-56, after a layup by Nic Gaspar with 1:45 to go in the game. Howard regained the lead 58-57 just thirty seconds later. The score remained 58-57 until the closing seconds of the game. An offensive rebound and put-back by Howard increased their lead to 60-57 with :11.5 remaining in the game. A last second three-point attempt by St Mary was no good at the buzzer.
St Mary shot 39% (18-46) overall in the game, 38% (8-21) from three-point area, and 13-15 from the free-throw line. Howard shot 50% (26-52) from the field, 32% (7-22) on three-point attempts, and 1-5 from the free-throw line.
Gaspar had 21 points, six rebounds, three assists, and four steals. Trevon Beckman ended with with 17 points, five rebounds, and three assists. Maverick LeBrun had 10 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists. Trimmier Hanson, CJ Smith, and Lucas Flemmer all had three points each.
