A non-stop, tenacious defense helped the #7 seeded St Mary Cardinals to a 61-50 win over the #2 seeded and undefeated Harding County Ranchers in the opening round of the 2025 South Dakota State B Tournament in Huron on Thursday, March 13th.
The Cardinals set the tone early. Their defensive pressure kept Harding County at bay all game. The Cardinals held a 20-14 lead at the end of the first quarter. St Mary then used a strong second-quarter performance, outscoring the Ranchers 19-12, to build a lead they never relinquished. Madala Hanson hit back-to-back three pointers to give St Mary a double digit lead. That momentum helped the Cardinals to a 39-26 halftime lead.
Harding County would outscore St Mary in the third quarter, but juts by three points. The Cardinals held a 48-38 lead going into the final quarter. The Ranchers got no closer than eight points, 48-40, with 7:52 to play in the game. In the final minutes, St Mary sealed the win at the free-throw line.
St Mary shot 33% (17-52) from the field, 27% (8-30) on three-point attempts, and went an impressive 19-23 from the free-throw line. Harding County shot 44% (20-45) overall in the game, 15% (2-13) from three-point area, and 62% (8-13) from the free-throw line. The Cardinal defense, the main star of the game, forced 31 Rancher turnovers which resulted in 36 points for St Mary.
Hanson finished with 22 points, five rebounds, three steals, and two assists. Jenna Miller had 13 points, five rebounds, and two steals. Jodie Klein and Stephenie Geraets each had eight points in the game. Maddyn LeBrun ended with six points, four rebounds, and four steals.
The Cardinals will face Sanborn Central/Woonsocket in the semifinals. Tip-off is at 7:45 p.m. on Friday in Huron.
