Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Jackson Palmer drives to the basket for St. Edmond on Friday. For more photos, please visit CU.messengernews.net

Adolph Kochendorfer has been around high school basketball long enough to know that players have to remain focused on continuing to improve as a team.

Kochendorfer’s St. Edmond boys raced out to a commanding lead and never looked back here Friday, topping Hampton-Dumont/CAL, 69-45.

Hayden Mayer led four Gaels (6-7 overall, 4-4 in the North Central Conference) in double figures with 13 points as they completed a season sweep over the Bulldogs.

Quinten McCarville added 12, Anthony Lacina 11 and Jackson Palmer 10 as St. Edmond knocked down eight 3-pointers and led by as many as 18 in the first half thanks to a 17-2 run.

“With 16-, 17- and 18-year-old kids, you really never know what you are going to get from game-to-game or week-to-week,” Kochendorfer laughed. “You kind of have to keep it all level and in check.

“I was really happy with our effort from the opening tip (Friday), though. We got that big lead, but we kept our focus and continued to play hard.”

Palmer, Drew Schaeffer and Noah Simpson combined for six triples in the opening eight minutes helping the Gaels take a 29-11 lead. Schaeffer finished with six points and four rebounds while Simpson had nine points.

“I thought we moved the ball well and did a good job of stepping into our open looks,” Kochendorfer said. “Hampton-Dumont/CAL was coming off a big win and they had some momentum from that. They can force you to play reckless at times, but we did a nice job of slowing the tempo down and only pushing it when we had the advantage.”

McCarville and Lacina scored 13 in the third as St. Edmond continued to apply pressure before Kochendorfer emptied the bench early in the fourth.

Mayer recorded a team-high five rebounds, while Sean Flattery added four and Palmer three steals.

The Gaels return to action here on Saturday, hosting Clarion-Goldfield/Dows in a game rescheduled due to inclement weather. Varsity boys tip is set for 2:30 p.m.

ST. EDMOND 69, HAMPTON-DUMONT/CAL 45

St. Edmond — Quinten McCarville 6 0-0 12, Jackson Palmer 4 0-0 10, Drew Schaeffer 2 0-0 6, Hayden Mayer 4 5-6 13, Sean Flattery 0 0-0 0, Anthony Lacina 4 2-2 11, Noah Simpson 3 0-0 9, Grant Heldorfer 0 0-0 0, Caleb Schaeffer 1 0-0 2, Andrew Elbert 1 2-2 4, Zach Smith 1 0-0 2, Isaac Landwehr 0 0-0 0. Totals: 26 9-10 69.

Hampton-Dumont/CAL — Jordan Severs 3 0-0 6, Mario De La Cruz 1 0-0 3, Jace Spurgeon 2 0-0 5, Benji Sauke 1 0-0 2, Colin Hill 1 0-0 2, Marco Guerrero 2 1-2 5, Payton McNealy 2 0-0 4, Cal Heeren 2 0-0 4, Riley Heeren 0 0-0 0, Scott Harr 1 2-4 4, Eli Walton 0 0-0 0, Will Sackville 1 2-2 4, Logan Pfeffer 1 0-0 2, Tommy Birdsell 1 2-2 4, Kale Folkerts 0 0-0 0. Totals: 18 7-10 45.

Quarter scores: St. Edmond led 29-11, 42-24, 59-30. Three-point goals: St. Edmond 8 (Palmer 2, D. Schaeffer 2, Lacina 1, Simpson 3), Hampton-Dumont/CAL 2. Total rebounds: St. Edmond 27, Hampton-Dumont/CAL 22. Steals: St. Edmond 9, Hampton-Dumont/CAL 10. Blocked shots: St. Edmond 0, Hampton-Dumont/CAL 3. Turnovers: St. Edmond 18, Hampton-Dumont/CAL 17.