Playing in their second straight day, the Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinal girls survived the Baltic Bulldogs for a 66-61 win on Tuesday, February 8th in Baltic.
The Cardinals got out to a big lead in the first quarter. They led 27-9 by the quarter break. Baltic made a big run in the second quarter, outscoring St Mary 22-9 to cut the lead to 36-31 at halftime. The Bulldogs got the lead down to one point heading into the fourth quarter, 46-45. St Mary went on a 10-4 run to start the fourth quarter to extend their lead to 56-49 with 5:55 to go in the game. The Bulldogs pulled within two points again, 60-58, with 2:00 go. St Mary pushed the lead back to six points, 64-58, with just under a minute to play. Baltic was only able to get within three, 64-61, before St Mary sealed the victory with two free throws in the closing seconds.
St Mary shot 44% (22-50) from the field, 30% (7-23) from three-point area, and 65% (15-23) from the free-throw line. The Bulldogs finished 47% (22-47) shooting, 2-8 from three-point area, and 56% (15-27) from the free-throw line.
Three players finished in double figures. Madala Hanson had 17 points, five rebounds, and four steals. Ella Griffin finished with 15 points, six rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Maya Heinitz had 10 points, three rebounds, and two assists.
The Cardinals will play McCook Central/Montrose in Salem on Friday, February 11th at 11:30 a.m. at the DWU Classic.