The St Mary Cardinal boys held a 17 point lead late in the third quarter and then held off a De Smet rally for a 56-48 road win on Thursday, January 2nd.
The two teams played a close first quarter. St Mary held a 14-10 lead at the end of the quarter. De Smet went on an 8-4 run to tie the game 8-8 with 2:50 remaining in the half. The Cardinals ended the second quarter on a 7-0 run for a 25-18 halftime lead.
St Mary continued their run into the third quarter. The Cardinals outscored De Smet 12-2 over the first half of the third quarter to build a 37-20 lead. The Bulldogs were able to cut into the lead by the end of the quarter at 43-30. De Smet then got hot from the outside in the fourth quarter making four straight three-point shots. The Bulldogs got within five points, 51-46, with 2:45 to go in the game. St Mary, however, was able to hold off the rally and outscored De Smet 5-2 the rest of the game.
The Cardinals shot 44% (22-50) overall in the game, 27% (6-22) on three-point shots, and 6-8 from the free-throw line. De Smet shot 41% (18-44) overall, 41% (7-17) from three-point area, and 5-11 from the free-throw line.
Trevon Beckman nearly finished with a triple-double. Beckman had 26 points, 10 rebounds, and seven steals. Trimmier Hanson added 15 points, three steals, and two rebounds. Maverick LeBrun ended with six points and seven rebounds.
