Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Jed Tracy of St. Edmond drives in to score against Hampton-Dumont on Friday in the Gael gym. For more photos, please visit CU.messengernews.net

The St. Edmond boys finally worked their way out of neutral here Friday night, riding the play of seniors Jerris Duncan and Jed Tracy to a 49-32 victory over Hampton-Dumont.

Duncan scored a career-high 15 points, with 10 coming in the second half, and Tracy dished out eight assists, grabbed five rebounds and scored six points to lead the Gaels (1-1 overall, 1-0 in North Central Conference).

Connor Bocken, also a senior, added eight points and five steals, with Drew Schaeffer chipping in seven points with five rebounds and three steals.

“We made some adjustments at the half and the kids executed,” SEHS head coach Adolph Kochendorfer said. “We finally got into a rhythm there on the offensive end, moving the ball and making the extra pass. Plus, we rebounded much better, boxing out and taking away their second-chance buckets.”

The Bulldogs (1-1, 0-1) led by five after the first quarter, but St. Edmond took an 18-16 lead into the break on a pair of Schaeffer free throws.

After that, it was all Gaels, as they outscored Hampton-Dumont 19-2 in the third as part of a 24-2 run that stretched into the fourth.

Duncan knocked down three of St. Edmond’s six 3-pointers, with Bocken hitting two and Schaeffer one. The Gaels’ advantage reached as many as 24 points.

“Coach K always says during halftime, ‘The first three minutes dictates how the rest of the game goes,'” Tracy said. “So we came out, hit a couple shots and rode on that momentum throughout the rest of the game.

“One big thing that Coach stressed in the locker room was ball fakes and getting the ball into the middle of the zone. We started getting the ball to the middle, the defense crashed and the whole court opened up for us. After that, the offense started to flow.”

Duncan and Schaeffer had five points each during the third, with Tracy scoring four and Bocken three. Tracy overcame a dislocated finger suffered when he went after a loose ball, missing only a matter of minutes in the game.

“Jerris Duncan, that ballplayer is truly a good one,” Tracy said. “From posting people up to hitting a big three, he can do it all. With Jerris on the court, it gives us many options on the offensive end.

“Coming into this game, I was pumped to have him back into the action as I knew what he could do and how valuable he is to this team.”

Sophomore Hayden Mayer grabbed six rebounds and had four points, with junior Cael Kolacia grabbing five rebounds and scoring four points.

The Gaels return to action on Tuesday when they host Southeast Valley.

ST. EDMOND 49, HAMPTON-DUMONT 32

St. Edmond — Connor Bocken 2-8 2-2 8, Jed Tracy 2-8 2-2 6, Drew Schaeffer 1-8 4-4 7, Cael Kolacia 2-6 0-0 4, Hayden Mayer 2-3 0-1 4, Brock Stanek 1-1 0-0 2, Jerris Duncan 5-6 2-2 15, Jackson Bemrich 0-0 0-2 0, Charlie Shelly 0-0 0-0 0, Anthony Lacina 0-1 0-0 0, Kase Baker 0-1 0-0 0, Grant Heldorfer 0-0 0-0 0, Ethan Lursen 1-1 0-0 2, Sean Flattery 0-0 0-0 0, Quinten McCarville 0-0 1-2 1. Totals: 14-43 11-15 49.

Hampton-Dumont — Jace Spurgeon 0-5 0-0 0, Drew Uhlenhopp 2-4 4-4 8, Wyatt Sutter 0-5 2-4 2, Carson Miller 1-4 4-5 6, Jordan Severs 3-12 0-0 7, Mario DeLa Cruz 1-5 0-0 2, Malyk Schunk 1-1 0-0 2, Colin Hill 0-0 0-0 0, Cade Klein 0-1 0-0 0, Riley Heeren 1-2 0-0 3, Cole Franke 0-0 0-0 0, Frank Alejo 0-0 2-2 2, Benji Sauke 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 9-40 12-15 32.

Quarter scores: Hampton-Dumont led 12-7, St. Edmond led 18-16, 37-18. Three-point goals: St. Edmond 6-18 (Duncan 3, Bocken 2, Schaeffer), Hampton-Dumont 2-17 (Severs, Heeren). Total rebounds: St. Edmond 29, Hampton-Dumont 29. Steals: St. Edmond 12, Hampton-Dumont 5. Blocked shots: Hampton-Dumont 2. Turnovers: St. Edmond 13, Hampton-Dumont 19.