Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Sean Flaherty pulls down a rebound for St. Edmond against Southeast Valley on Tuesday in the Gael gym. For more photos, please visit CU.messengernews.net

The St. Edmond boys notched their first victory of the season here Tuesday night, downing Southeast Valley, 62-44.

Jackson Kochendorfer and Andrew Gibb each scored 14 points, Will Woodruff added nine points, 15 rebounds and three blocked shots, and Sean Flaherty added 10 points, eight boards and drew three charges.

After falling to Clarion-Goldfield/Dows last Friday, the Gaels (1-1 overall) showed long-time head coach Adolph Kochendorfer marked improvements on the court.

“I thought we moved the ball much better,” Kochendorfer said. “We also did a better job of staying in the flow of what we wanted to do. (Southeast Valley) wants to hurry you up and force you into mistakes, but we remained calm for the most part and were able to make some shots.”

St. Edmond was 21-for-45 from the field and 8-for-17 from the 3-point line, as Kochendorfer knocked down four triples. The Gaels made 12 of 26 in the first half, allowing them to jump out to a 34-18 advantage.

“We played a really good first quarter and were able to get open looks,” Kochendorfer said. “We did a good job of stretching our lead in the second, but we let them back into it late in the third.”

The Jaguars (1-2) cut the deficit from 17 down to 10 in the third. Keenan Ferry had seven points and 11 rebounds, with Hunter Kruse scoring nine and Nyles Johnson seven.

Leading by 11 to start the fourth, the Gaels put together a 7-3 run that was sparked by a Drew Schaeffer 3-pointer.

“We’ve got some kids that can shoot the ball,” Kochendorfer said. “We just have to make sure we are shooting it in the flow of the game.”

St. Edmond returns to action Friday night when they hit the road for the first time, heading to Hampton-Dumont. Southeast Valley travels to Emmetsburg.

ST. EDMOND 62, SOUTHEAST VALLEY 44

St. Edmond — Mitchell Rasmussen 0-0 0-0 0, Jed Tracy 1-2 1-2 4, Jackson Kochendorfer 5-11 0-0 14, Will Woodruff 2-9 5-9 9, Sean Flaherty 4-4 2-4 10, Isaac Lursen 1-1 0-0 2, Andrew Gibb 6-13 1-1 14, Sean Newell 0-1 0-0 0, Drew Schaeffer 1-2 1-2 4, Connor Bocken 1-1 0-0 3, Nick Lawler 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 21-45 10-17 62.

Southeast Valley — Nolan Johnson 2-13 0-0 4, Jackson Housken 0-2 0-0 0, Keenan Ferry 3-6 1-2 7, Tommy Lennon 3-7 0-3 6, Jaxon Myers 2-7 1-2 6, Nyles Johnson 3-8 1-2 7, Zach Graves 2-5 0-0 4, JJ Graves 0-0 0-0 0, Hunter Kruse 4-6 0-1 9, Mason Ackerson 0-1 0-0 0, Chase Swieter 0-2 0-0 0, Kenny Blunk 0-0 1-2 1. Totals: 19-58 4-12 44.

Quarter scores: St. Edmond led 21-13, 34-18, 46-35. 3-point goals: St. Edmond 8-17 (Tracy 1-1, Kochendorfer 4-8, Gibb 1-5, Schaeffer 1-2, Bocken 1-1); Southeast Valley 2-13 (No. Johnson 0-4, Housken 0-1, Myers 1-4, Ny. Johnson 0-2, Z. Graves 0-1, Kruse 1-2). Total rebounds: St. Edmond 37, Southeast Valley 35. Steals: St. Edmond 5, Southeast Valley 8. Blocked shots: St. Edmond 4, Southeast Valley 3. Turnovers: St. Edmond 17, Southeast Valley 14. Team fouls: St. Edmond 13, Southeast Valley 21. Fouled out: Ferry.