×

Gael boys pass first 1A test

-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Sean Flaherty of St. Edmond goes up for a shot against Southeast Valley on Tuesday

ALGONA — A year ago, the St. Edmond boys walked off the Bishop Garrigan court with a stunning loss to Newell-Fonda in the opening round of Class 1A postseason play.

The Gaels returned here Thursday night and were able to gain a measure of revenge, rallying past Saint Ansgar, 56-42.

St. Edmond (12-10 overall) will now meet No. 9 (Class 1A) Bishop Garrigan (18-4) here Tuesday in a District 3 semifinal. The Golden Bears knocked off Belmond-Klemme last night, 58-39.

Andrew Gibb scored a game-high 23 points, including 16 in the second half when the Gaels outscored the Saints, 32-18.

“It’s weird, but this was the first postseason win for many of these kids,” SEHS head coach Adolph Kochendorfer said. “There are different nerves that come with playing a playoff game, especially on the road. We came out and were a little nervous from the start, but we adjusted in the second half and had a good defensive effort over the final 16 minutes.”

Sean Flaherty added 13 points and five rebounds, Will Woodruff had six points, 11 rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots, and Gibb also had five steals.

Saint Ansgar (11-10) was led by Ethan Kirchgatter’s 17 points. The Saints, though, scored just five points in the third quarter and went 7-for-17 from the field in the second half.

“Give Saint Ansgar credit because they came ready to play,” Kochendorfer said. “They were able to get in the lane and caused us problems early on.”

The Gaels closed the third quarter on an 11-0 run that included a three-pointer just before the buzzer by junior Mitchell Rasmussen. That gave them a 10-point lead, but the Saints cut it to five in the fourth.

Flaherty converted a three-point play and Gibb knocked down six free throws to clinch it. After going 0-for-5 from the line in the first half, St. Edmond hit 9 of 10 in the second.

Kochendorfer, who has led the Gaels to a state title and three runner-up finishes, admitted the pressure put on his team was one that will help them moving forward.

“We needed a game like this to really get a feel for the postseason,” he said. “We wouldn’t have learned as much about ourselves with a blowout. Instead, we were tested, we responded and we are moving on.”

Former North Central Conference rivals, St. Edmond and Bishop Garrigan no longer play twice a year. They did open the season against one another in 2016, with the Gaels scoring an 81-53 victory.

ST. EDMOND 56, SAINT ANSGAR 42

St. Edmond — Jed Tracy 1-4 0-0 2, Andrew Gibb 8-18 7-8 23, Jackson Kochendorfer 2-6 0-0 5, Will Woodruff 3-5 0-3 6, Sean Flaherty 5-9 3-3 13, Isaac Lursen 1-1 0-0 2, Mitchell Rasmussen 1-3 0-0 3, Drew Schaeffer 1-1 0-0 2. Totals: 22-47 9-15 56.

Saint Ansgar — Erik Gerdts 2-3 0-0 6, Ethan Kirchgatter 6-16 4-7 17, Jack Sievert 1-2 3-5 5, Collin Kramer 3-12 2-2 8, Nicholas Bork 2-4 0-0 4, Adam Williams 1-1 0-0 2, Anthony Williams 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 15-38 10-15 42.

Quarter scores: Saint Ansgar led 14-12, Tied 24-24, St. Edmond led 39-29. Three-point goals: St. Edmond 2-12 (Tracy 0-1, Gibb 0-3, Kochendorfer 1-5, Rasmussen 1-3); Saint Ansgar 2-7 (Gerdts 2-2, Kirchgatter 0-5). Total rebounds: St. Edmond 26, Saint Ansgar 23. Steals: St. Edmond 9, Saint Ansgar 3. Blocked shots: St. Edmond 3, Saint Ansgar 2. Team fouls: St. Edmond 16, Saint Ansgar 16. Fouled out: Gerdts. Turnovers: St. Edmond 12, Saint Ansgar 20.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today