Photo taken and used with permission by Tammy Chamley
The Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinals entered the SoDak 16 as the #8 seed and on an eight-game winning streak. The Cardinals faced the Gregory Gorillas, the team the Cardinals beat to start the eight-game winning streak, in Mitchell on Tuesday, March 5th. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, the Gorillas took the win 62-46 to advance to the State B Tournament.
St Mary started quick and took a 7-2 lead with 3:30 to play in the opening quarter. Gregory responded with a 9-2 run the rest quarter for an 11-9 lead. The Gorillas were able to extend their lead to 27-19 by halftime. The Cardinals went on a little run to start the third quarter and pulled within two points, 31-29, with 4:15 to go. Gregory again responded, this time with 10-3 run to end the quarter. The Gorillas led 41-32 going into the fourth quarter. St Mary was unable to cut into the lead and were outscored 21-14 in the final quarter.
The Cardinals shot 33% (15-45) overall, 32% (6-19) from three-point area, and 67% (10-15) from the free-throw line. The Gorillas finished the game shooting 47% (23-49) overall, 33% (4-12) on three-point shots, and 92% (12-13) from the free-throw line. The Cardinals turned the ball over 16 times, 13 of those on Gorilla steals.
Trevon Beckman finished with 16 points, seven rebounds, four steals, and three assists. Maverick LeBrun added 12 points and 10 rebounds. Trimmier Hanson had nine points and three rebounds. Nic Gaspar ended with six points and two steals.
The Cardinals finish the season with an 18-5 overall record.
