EAGLE GROVE — This time, when the St. Edmond girls faced a physical contest, they fought back.

The Gaels (2-8 overall) used a 21-point fourth quarter to pick up their second win of the season, knocking off Eagle Grove (3-9) on Monday by a final of 51-45.

St. Edmond led after each quarter and built a 30-23 edge heading into the final eight minutes. Solid shooting and work at the charity stripe carried the Gaels to a road triumph.

“We had a physical game against South Hamilton (earlier in the season) and they just took it,” said Gael head coach C.J. Tracy. “This was the same type of physicallity, but we pushed back.

“We fought hard. The growth we’ve been showing is huge.”

Leah Neverman had a strong game for the Gaels, with a game-high 17 points. Mya McClain added 13, with 10 coming in the fourth quarter.

“Leah knocked down a couple of threes and had some nice offensive putbacks (late in the contest),” Tracy said. “Mya had a great fourth quarter. She used her speed to push the ball and attack the basket.”

The Gaels were able to extend their lead from seven to 12 in the final frame, but the Eagles fought back.

“We had a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter and Eagle Grove cut it to four,” Tracy said. “We continued to fight and battle. We were continuously crashing the boards down the stretch.

“We kept our compsure. We were 11-for-17 from the free throw line in the fourth, which got the job done.”

Hannah Sampson and Lea Friedl led the Eagles with 13 points each. Ariane Lyman added nine.

“We did a good job of being aggressive,” Tracy said. “We talked about playing with intensity, especially on the road.”

St. Edmond is at Manson Northwest Webster on Thursday, and at Clear Lake on Friday.

ST. EDMOND 51, EAGLE GROVE 45

St. Edmond — Avery Galles 3, Leah Johnson 1, Kelli Kersten 2, Kierstin Clark 5, Mya McClain 13, Leah Neverman 17, Kacey Kruthoff 7, Gracie Harvey 3.

Eagles Grove — Hannah Sampson 13, Megan Sampson 6, Lea Friedl 13, Ariane Lyman 9, Olivia Anderson 4.

Quarter scores: SE led 7-6, 17-15, 30-23.