The St Mary Cardinals advanced to the SoDak 16 with a win over the Ethan Rustlers in Madison on Thursday, February 27th. The Cardinals used a relentless attack to wear down the Rustlers in a 54-44 victory.
St Mary led for all but just a few moments in the game. The Cardinals led 12-6 at the end of the first quarter. Ethan rallied to take a brief 22-20 lead, but the Cardinals got the final three points for a 23-22 halftime adantage.
St Mary finally started getting some separation late in the third quarter. With 3:09 to play in the third quarter, St Mary led 35-33. They finished the third quarter with a 42-34 advantage. The Rustlers scored the first five points of the fourth quarter to make the score 42-39, but the Cardinals ended the game on a 12-5 run for the win.
The Cardinals shot 38% (18-47) from the field overall, 37% (11-30) from three-point area, and 7-8 from the free-throw line. Ethan finished the game shooting 26% (12-46) overall, 17% (5-30) on three-point shots, and 75% (15-20) from the free-throw line.
Madala Hanson was on fire hitting eight three-point shots. Hanson finished with 28 points, six rebounds, four steals, and three assists. Addison Libis added 11 points and three rebounds. Jenna Miller finished with nine points, three rebounds, and seven assists. Maddyn LeBrun ended with four points and six rebounds.
