Playing in the final regular season game of the year, the Bridgewater-Emery Huskies stunned the Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinals on Friday, February 25th.  The Huskies led for almost the entire game and took the 54-48 victory on the Cardinal senior night.

The opening quarter was a defensive battle as both offenses struggled to find anything.  The two teams combined for 10 total points, and the Huskies led 6-4 at the break.  The Huskies built a nine-point lead, 16-7, with 4:48 to play in the second quarter.  The Cardinals cut the lead to one point at 16-15 and then again at 19-18 with :05 to play in the quarter.  Bridgewater-Emery hit a three-pointer with just seconds left to give them a 22-18 lead at halftime.

The Huskies were able to push their four-point halftime lead to seven, 33-26, with 3:25 to play in the third quarter.  St Mary went on a 7-0 run to tie the game, 33-33, which was the first tie since 4-4 early in the first quarter.  Bridgewater-Emery ended the third quarter, however, leading 37-35.  Another run by the Huskies gave them a 47-39 lead with 3:20 to go in the game.  The Cardinals were only able to get within three points, 51-48, after a three pointer by Nic Gaspar with :17 to go.  The Huskies made three of four free throws in the closing seconds to get the win.

St Mary finished the game shooting 38% (18-48) from the field, just 4-17 from three-point area, and 53% (8-13) from the free-throw line.  The Huskies were 44% (21-48) shooting overall, 3-14 on three pointers, and 9-16 from the free-throw line.  Bridgewater-Emery out rebounded St Mary 34-24 in the game.

John Pica had 13 points, four rebounds, three steals, and three assists to lead the Cardinals.  Gaspar had 11 points, five rebounds, two steals, and two assists.  Ty Brown also had 11 points along with four rebounds.  Dylan Mathis finished with 10 points, six rebounds, two steals, and two assists.

The Cardinals finish the regular season with a 15-5 record and the #2 seed in the Region 4B tournament.  St Mary will host a Region 4B game on Tuesday, March 1st and will play the winner of Bridgewater-Emery and Sioux Falls Luthrean.

Eight seniors for the Cardinals were recognized prior to the game.  This year’s seniors are Noah Reiff, Aiden Geraets, Brandon Cook, Ty Brown, Gabe Lamb, Luke Geraets, John Pica, and Seth Roemen.

The Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinals and Howard Tigers squared off in a big Region 4B match-up in Howard on Thursday, February 10th.  It was a battle between the top two seeds in the region.  The St Mary defense held Howard to just three points in the final quarter for a 54-38 win.

The Cardinals had a lead after every quarter break, but the battle was tough.  St Mary held a two-point lead, 14-12, at the end of the first quarter.  They maintained that lead throughout the second quarter and led 28-22 at halftime.  The Cardinals continued to hold a six-point lead, 30-24, with 5:30 to play in the third quarter.  Howard then went on a 9-1 run to take a 33-31 lead with 3:22 to play in the quarter.  St Mary responded with a 7-2 run for a 38-35 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

After an early free throw by the Cardinals in the fourth quarter, CJ Smith and Nic Gaspar hit back-to-back three-pointers to give the Cardinals a 45-35 lead with 5:25 to play.  Howard’s only basket in the fourth quarter came on a three-pointer with 4:00 to go.  St Mary continued to build on their lead, making their free-throws down the stretch, for the victory.

St Mary shot 38% (19-50) from the field, 44% (7-16) from three-point area, and 69% (9-13) from the free-throw line.  Howard finished the game shooting 33% (16-48) overall, 2-13 on three pointers, and 4-8 from the free-throw line.

Smith had 18 points, five rebounds, and four steals in the game.  John Pica finished with 11 points, five rebounds, five assists, and two steals.  Dylan Mathis added 10 points, three rebounds, and two steals.  Gaspar had eight points, nine rebounds, five assists, and three steals.

The Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinals had no trouble winning their fourth straight on Thursday, February 3rd.  St Mary cruised to a 62-31 win at Lake Preston against the Divers.

The Cardinals raced out to a 14-0 run to start the game and never looked back.  St Mary led 22-6 at the end of the first quarter and extended the lead to 44-15 by halftime.  The Cardinals outscored the Divers 18-16 in the second half.

St Mary shot 44% (23-52) in the game, 16% (2-12) from three-point area, and 58% (14-24) from the free-throw line.  Lake Preston was 23% (11-47) shooting, 10% (2-20) from three-point area, and 54% (7-13) from the free-throw line.

Ty Brown had 17 points and eight rebounds.  Dylan Mathis finished with 14 points, five rebounds, and three blocked shots.  John Pica added 11 points and five rebounds.  Nic Gaspar ended with 10 points, three rebounds, three steals, and three assists.  CJ Smith had seven points, two rebounds, two steals, and two assists.

The Cardinals will host the Arlington Cardinals in a girls and boys doubleheader on Monday, February 7th.

The Dell Rapids St Mary won their third straight game on Saturday, January 29th after a big win over the Viborg-Hurley Cougars 67-58.

In the first half, each team had a one point lead at a quarter break.  The Cougars had the lead at the end of the first quarter, 15-14.  St Mary took the lead into the locker room at halftime, 29-28.  The Cardinals used the third quarter to extend their lead.  St Mary added four more points to their lead heading into the fourth quarter, 45-40.  They then outscored Viborg-Hurley 22-18 in the final quarter for the nine-point win.

Four players finished in double figures.  CJ Smith had a big game with 21 points.  Nic Gaspar had 12 points.  Ty Brown finished with 11 points, and Dylan Mathis ended with 10 points.

The Cardinals (10-4) will travel to Lake Preston on Thursday, February 3rd.

The Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinals were too strong for the Alcester-Hudson Cubs on Thursday, January 27th.  The Cardinals had no trouble in a 63-30 win at home.

St Mary built a 20-8 lead by the end of the first quarter and continued to build the lead from there.  The Cardinals led 39-16 at halftime.  The Cubs were held to just two points by the Cardinal defense in the third quarter, and St Mary led 57-18 after three quarters of play.

The Cardinals were 43% (24-56) shooting in the game, 25% (5-20) from three-point area, and 59% (10-17) from the free-throw line.  The Cubs were just 27% (12-46) shooting, 18% (2-11) from three-point area, and 25% (4-16) from the free-throw line.  St Mary forced 21 turnovers, 14 of those on steals.

Nic Gaspar had a double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds.  Gaspar also had three steals.  Ty Brown finished with 10 points, two steals, two assists, and a rebound.  Dylan Mathis had nine points, six rebound, and five steals.  John Pica also had nine points and six rebounds.

The Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinals raced out to a 10-1 run to start the fourth quarter to put the game away against the Deubrook Area Dolphins on Tuesday, January 25th.  St Mary won the game 81-62.

The Cardinals held the advantage at the end of every quarter in the game.  St Mary led 16-12 at the end of the first quarter, and they were able to extend their lead to 42-31 by halftime.  The Dolphins cut the lead down to five points, 46-41, with 5:00 to play in the third quarter, but St Mary held off any rally and led 58-49 at the end of the quarter.  The 10-1 run in the first two and half minutes of the fourth quarter by the Cardinals put the game out of reach as St Mary led 68-50 at that point.

The Cardinals shot 57% (28-49) from the field, 32% (6-19) on three pointers, and 70% (19-27) from the free-throw line.  Deubrook was 47% (23-49) shooting, 50% (9-18) from three-point area, and 44% (7-16) from the free-throw line.

Dylan Mathis finished with 29 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals.  Ty Brown added 17 points, four rebounds, and two assists.  Nic Gaspar had 14 points, three rebounds, and two steals.  John Pica had a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds.

The Cardinals (8-4) will host Alcester-Hudson on Thursday, January 27th.

The Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinals and Mt Vernon/Plankinton Titans did battle at the Dakota Valley Conference classic on Saturday, January 22nd in Elkton.  The Titans had an early run in the first quarter to lead them to a 63-52 victory.

Mt Vernon/Plankinton got out to a fast start in the first quarter, taking a 17-8 lead into the second quarter.  That difference in the first quarter was too much for the Cardinals to overcome.  St Mary did cut the lead to 31-24 by halftime.  The Titans extended the lead to 40-32 after the third quarter.  Mt Vernon/Plankinton outscored St Mary 23-20 in the final quarter.

St Mary shot just 35% (18-52) in the game, 28% (5-18) from three-point area, and 61% (11-18) from the free-throw line.  The Titans shot well in the game, finishing 61% (23-38) from the field, 50% (5-10) from three-point area, and 63% (12-19) from the free-throw line.

Dylan Mathis had 27 points and five rebounds.  Nic Gaspar finished with seven points, eight rebounds, and two steals.  John Pica had seven points, six rebounds, and two assists.  Ty Brown also had seven points along with three steals and three assists.  CJ Smith added four points, five rebounds, and two steals.

The Cardinals (7-4) will host the Deubrook Area Dolphins on Tuesday, January 25th.