The Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinal girls basketball team lost their opening round game of the Dakota Valley Conference tournament to the Oldham-Ramona/Rutland Raiders 39-35 on Monday, January 19th, in Colman.  The game had eight ties and 13 lead changes.

The Cardinals had their largest lead of the game, two points, with 5:41 in the first quarter, but the Raiders took an early 7-6 lead at the quarter break.  O-R-R extended that lead to 13-8 at halftime by outscoring the Cardinals 6-2 in the second quarter.  St Mary was able to pull within a point at 21-20 at the end of the third quarter.  However, the Raiders were able to take their largest lead of the night at five points with 2:14 to go in the game as they held on for the win.

The Cardinals only shot 17% (4-23) from the field in the first half, and 28% (14-50) from the field the entire game.  They were 23% (3-13) from the three-point area, and just 21% (4-19) from the free-throw line.  St Mary had a total of 36 team rebounds, 16 steals, and turned the ball over 12 times.

Ally Mullaney led the Cardinals with 14 points, nine rebounds, and six steals.  Jackie Wolles finished with 11 points and seven rebounds in the game.  Lindsey Wolles tossed in four points.

The Cardinals fall to 1-9 on the season.

The Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinal girls basketball team couldn’t complete the comeback against the Lake Preston Divers on Friday, January 9th, in Lake Preston.  The Divers hit eight free throws late in the game to earn a 58-50 win over the Cardinals.

Lake Preston raced out to an early 11-2 lead in the first quarter, and led 11-5 at the quarter break.  The Cardinals closed the gap in the second quarter.  St Mary was able to pull within a point at 18-17 late in the half, but Lake Preston pushed the lead to three at halftime at 20-17.  The offense picked up for both teams in the third quarter, and each team went on two runs during the quarter.  The Divers started the quarter on a 7-2 run to lead 27-19.  The Cardinals came back as they went on a 7-0 run to pull within a point again at 27-26.  Lake Preston then outscored St Mary 8-2 to go ahead 35-28.  Once again the Cardinals were able to answer with a 6-0 and trailed again by just one point at 35-34.  Lake Preston led 37-34 at the end of the third quarter.  Both teams traded baskets throughout the fourth quarter.  Lake Preston led by just two points late in the game at 50-48.  The Divers scored their final eight points from the free throw line while holding St Mary to just two points to seal the win.

Ally Mullaney led the Cardinals with 17 points in the game.  Jackie Wolles added 12 points.  Lindsey Wolles, Kaitlyn Vortherms, and Claudia Schwebach each had seven points apiece.  St Mary finished just 2-6 from the free throw line.  Lake Preston was led by Karley DeKnikker with 16 points.  Kristen Longville and Kiana Hoff each had 15 points.  The Divers finished 11-16 from the free throw line.

The loss drops the Cardinals record to 1-8 overall.  St Mary will play in the Dakota Valley Conference Tournament on January 19th.

Highlights

Another comeback bid by the Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinal girls basketball team fell short on Monday, December 29th.  The Cardinals lost to the Chester Flyers 40-37 at St Mary High School.

Chester took the lead after the first quarter 14-8.  The Cardinals defense shut down the Flyers in the second quarter.  St Mary outscored Chester 7-2 in the second quarter and trailed by just one point at halftime 16-15.  Chester was able to extend their lead to 35-27 at the end of the third quarter.  The Cardinals could not quite complete the comeback in the fourth quarter even though St Mary outscored Chester 10-5.

The Cardinals were led by Lindsey Wolles with 18 points and two steals.  Ally Mullaney added 11 points, nine rebounds, and two steals.

St Mary falls to 0-7 on the year.  The Cardinals will travel to Marion on Friday, January 2nd.

Highlights

The Hamlin Chargers outscored the Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinal girls basketball team 29-2 en route to a 64-35 win on Saturday, December 20th, at the Entringer Classic in Colman.

Hamlin led 16-9 after the first quarter, but the Cardinals were able to pull within three points at 25-22 at halftime.  The halftime break woke up the Charger offense as they scored more points in the third quarter than they did the entire first half.  The intense defense caused problems for the Cardinal offense, and Hamlin finished the quarter ahead 54-24.  St Mary did outscore the Chargers 11-10 in the final quarter.

St Mary finished the game shooting 25% (10-40) as a team from the field, 43% (3-7) from three-point area, and 75% (12-16) from the free-throw line.  The Cardinals pulled down 38 rebounds compared to 43 by Hamlin.  St Mary had six assists, five steals, but turned the ball over 31 times.

Lindsey Wolles led the Cardinals with 11 points and three rebounds.  Jackie Wolles added six points, and Kaitlyn Vortherms finished with five points and six rebounds.

The Cardinals fall to 0-5 on the year.  St Mary will host the Deubrook Area Dolphins on Monday, December 22nd.  The game will be webcast on Big Sioux Media.

Highlights

The Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinal girls basketball team lost to the Centerville Tornadoes on Tuesday, December 16th, by a score of 64-43.  The Cardinals led early in the ball game.  St Mary had a five-point lead with 4:51 to go in the first quarter, but the Tornadoes were able to close out the first quarter with the lead 18-17.  Centerville was able to increase their lead in the middle two quarters.  The Tornadoes outscores the Cardinals 15-6 in the second quarter to take a 33-23 lead into halftime.  The Tornadoes outscores the Cardinals 20-9 in the third quarter to push the lead to 53-32 at the end of the third quarter.  Both teams scored 11 points in the final quarter.

St Mary finished the night shooting 30% (19-64) from the field.  The Cardinals were just 1-6 from three-point area and shot 4-13 from the free-throw line.  St Mary finished the game with 33 total rebounds.

Ally Mullaney led St Mary with 19 points and 12 rebounds.  Kennedi Mullaney finished with six points.  Lexi Klein added four points.  Jackie Wolles pulled down five rebounds for the Cardinals.

St Mary falls to 0-3 on the year.  The Cardinals will host DeSmet on Thursday, December 18th, in their first home game of the year.

The Estelline Redmen hung on to defeat the Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinals in girls basketball action on Thursday, December 11th, in Estelline.  Estelline jumped out to a 13-5 lead after the first quarter.  They were able to extend the lead to 29-13 at halftime.

The Cardinals were able to cut the lead down to 37-23 by the end of the third quarter.  Dell Rapids St Mary also outscored Estelline 15-11 in the final quarter, but it wasn’t enough as Estelline hung on for the 48-38 win.

The Cardinals shot 29% (15-51) from the field in the game.  They were 33% (2-6) from three-point area and shot 43% (6-14) from the free throw line.  St Mary had a total of 39 team rebounds and 23 turnovers.

Ally Mullaney led the Cardinals with 22 points and 15 rebounds.  Lindsey Wolles added nine points, and Jackie Wolles tossed in four points.  Estelline was led by Abbi Benning with 15 points.  Leannah Tekrony had 12 points, and Makensie Saathoff had 11 points.

The Cardinals fall to 0-1 in the DVC and 0-2 overall on the year.  St Mary will travel to Centerville on Tuesday, December 16th.

Kelly Michel

The Chester Flyers defeated the Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinals for the second straight year in the girls District 7B Championship game.  This year the Flyers defeated the Cardinals 58-32 at Dell Rapids High School.  The first quarter was back and forth.  St Mary jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead, but the Flyers were able to take an 8-7 lead with 3:29 left in the first quarter.  With the game tied 10-10 in the closing seconds of the first quarter, Kenzie Alverson hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Flyers a 13-10 lead after the first quarter.  Chester went on a 7-4 run to extend their lead to 20-14 late in the second quarter.  Again the Flyers would hit a shot at the buzzer, giving Chester a 25-16 lead at halftime.

Chester scored the first seven points of the third quarter to give themselves a double-digit lead at 32-16.  Dell Rapids St Mary was able to pull within 38-25 with :30 left in the quarter, but the Flyers hit another basket late in the quarter to push the lead back to 15 at the end of the third quarter.  The Cardinals could not get the offense going in the fourth quarter, only scoring three points, as Chester pulled away for the win.

Dell Rapids St Mary was led by Ally Mullaney with 13 points.  Kelly Michel finished with nine points, and Amber Hansen added seven points for the Cardinals.  Chester was led by Jenna Reiff and Erin Bensen, each with 18 points in the game.

The Cardinals will end their season with a 14-8 record.  Chester will play in the Region 4B Championship game on Thursday, March 6th, at the Corn Palace in Mitchell.

Highlights:

The Dell Rapids St Mary Cardinals earned a spot in the District 7B championship game with a 44-36 win over Elkton/Lake Benton on Thursday, February 27th.  The Cardinals overcame a sluggish first quarter to earn the come-from-behind win.  Elkton/Lake Benton got out to a nine point lead after the first quarter at 11-2.  St Mary was able to cut into the lead, but the Elks still held a two-point lead at halftime of 19-17.  The Cardinals were able to gain the lead early in the third quarter and pulled out to a four-point lead at the end of the third quarter at 33-29.  The Cardinals were able to hold off the Elks in the fourth quarter for the win.

Dell Rapids St Mary will advance to the District 7B championship game on Saturday, March 1st, at 7:00 p.m. at the Dell Rapids Public.  The Cardinals will take on the Chester Flyers for a chance to advance to the Region 4B championship game.

Highlights: