×

No. 5 Hawks pull away from SE boys

Messenger file photo by Tom Vogt Andrew Gibb drives to the basket for St. Edmond earlier this season in the Gael gym.

Adolph Kochendorfer isn’t one to celebrate losses.

But being a head coach for as long as he has, Kochendorfer can recognize positives even in defeat.

The St. Edmond boys dropped a 64-53 decision to fifth-ranked (Class 2A) South Hamilton here Saturday night, falling for the fourth consecutive time.

“I’m as competitive a person as there is, and I’m never happy with a loss,” Kochendorfer said. “But we were right there with a very good team. We missed some open looks and turned the ball over too much, but we competed all night long.”

Jackson Kochendorfer scored 16 points with seven rebounds and five assists, Andrew Gibb added 13 and seven boards, and Mitchell Rasmussen dished out five assists for the Gaels (2-5 overall).

For the Hawks (7-1), Logan Peters scored 21, Cade Balvanz had 17 and both Conner Hill and Cole Berg chipped in 12 each. South Hamilton had its 33-game regular season win streak snapped Friday night vs. No. 6 (3A) Gilbert.

“I thought we came out with a lot of fire in the first,” Kochendorfer said. “We did a good job defending Hill, but we let some other players get into the lane and hurt us.

“I really thought that our seniors stepped up big for us.”

All five St. Edmond starters scored in the first quarter as they built a 14-7 lead. The Hawks, though, quickly erased that deficit and would lead until the fourth.

Drew Schaeffer knocked down a three-pointer after a Jerris Duncan bucket to complete a five-point burst. After exchanging the lead, Kochendorfer put SEHS up for the last time as the Hawks took control with a 9-0 run.

“It was just a little too much to overcome there late,” Kochendorfer said. “Our kids never gave up and I told them after that I was proud of the effort.

Duncan chipped in six points off the bench for the Gaels, with Cael Kolacia adding four.

St. Edmond takes on Humboldt Tuesday to conclude its pre-Christmas break schedule.

SOUTH HAMILTON 64, ST. EDMOND 53

St. Edmond — Mitchell Rasmussen 1-2 0-0 3, Drew Schaeffer 2-4 0-0 5, Andrew Gibb 4-12 5-6 13, Sean Newell 2-4 0-0 4, Jackson Kochendorfer 6-14 1-2 16, Jed Tracy 0-3 0-0 0, Jerris Duncan 2-4 2-3 6, Connor Bocken 0-1 0-0 0, Cael Kolacia 2-3 0-0 4, Jackson Bemrich 1-1 0-0 2. Totals: 20-48 8-11 53.

South Hamilton — Cole Berg 5-7 2-4 12, Logan Peters 8-17 4-7 21, Quinton Grove 0-2 0-0 0, Conner Hill 5-15 2-2 12, Cade Balvanz 8-11 1-3 17, Aaron Hegland 1-3 0-0 2, Carter Hewitt 0-2 0-0 0, Sam Lewis 0-1 0-0 0, Doran Lutjen 0-2 0-0 0. Totals: 27-60 9-16 64.

Quarter scores: St. Edmond led 14-9, South Hamilton led 31-27, 44-42. Three-point goals: St. Edmond 5-16, South Hamilton 1-11. Total rebounds: 29, South Hamilton 36. Steals: St. Edmond 7, South Hamilton 6. Blocked shots: South Hamilton 1. Turnovers: St. Edmond 16, South Hamilton 13. Team fouls: St. Edmond 17, South Hamilton 13. Technical foul: Gibb.

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