Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: Sam Mericle of St. Edmond shoots a three-pointer against Iowa Falls-Alden on Tuesday night in the Gael gym. For more photos, please visit CU.messengernews.net

A couple scoring lapses and red-hot shooting by Blake Janssen kept the St. Edmond boys from picking up a victory here Tuesday night.

Janssen scored a game-high 27 points, including 16 in the second half, as the Cadets completed a season sweep of the Gaels, 66-55. Iowa Falls-Alden has now won seven in a row in the series.

Hayden Mayer had 22 points and eight rebounds to lead St. Edmond, with Sam Mericle hitting six 3-pointers for 18 points.

“We just couldn’t handle Janssen,” SEHS head coach Adolph Kochendorfer said. “He took over out there. We kind of did a nice job on him early, but when he wanted to, he was able to get to the line and get to open looks.

“We played much better than (last Friday) at Hampton-Dumont/CAL. We were tired (last week) after road trips to Clear Lake and Hampton. The kids showed a lot more energy, we just had a few moments where we didn’t convert and that allowed (the Cadets) take gain the edge.”

St. Edmond overcame an early six-point deficit, taking the lead on the third Mericle triple of the first half. Iowa Falls-Alden, though, answered with an 8-0 run and would never look back.

Andrew Bicknese had 11 of his 17 in the opening 16 minutes, adding six rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot. Jaden Damiano and Camden Stalzer each had eight points.

“They were a little more physical and aggressive,” Kochendorfer said. “I thought Hayden did a nice job and Sam really is starting to get a lot of confidence. He also did a good job on defense and tracking the ball down.”

In the second half, the Gaels got it within two possessions on a handful of instances, but each time, Iowa Falls-Alden would answer. An 11-3 spurt by the Cadets from the end of the third through the start of the fourth made it a 56-43 advantage.

Quinten McCarville added six points and five rebounds, with Jackson Palmer chipping in five points and four boards for the Gaels, who have lost four in a row.

St. Edmond returns to the court on Thursday when they travel to West Bend-Mallard.

IOWA FALLS-ALDEN 66, ST. EDMOND 55

St. Edmond — Jackson Palmer 2 0-0 5, Noah Simpson 1 0-0 2, Quinten McCarville 1 3-4 6, Hayden Mayer 10 2-2 22, Caleb Schaeffer 0 0-0 0, Sam Mericle 6 0-0 18, Zach Smith 1 0-0 2, JT Laufersweiler 0 0-0 0. Totals: 21 5-6 55.

Iowa Falls-Alden — Blake Janssen 12 0-0 27, Jaden Damiano 4 0-0 8, Sam Weaver 2 0-2 4, Andrew Bicknese 8 0-0 17, Camden Stalzer 2 3-3 8, Kacen Boyer 1 0-0 2, Jacob Schipper 0 0-0 0. Totals: 29 3-5 66.

Quarter scores: Iowa Falls-Alden 18-13, 30-26, 47-40. Three-point goals: St. Edmond 8 (Palmer 1, McCarville 1, Mericle 6), Iowa Falls-Alden 5 (Janssen 3, Bicknese 1, Stalzer 1). Total rebounds: St. Edmond 27, Iowa Falls-Alden 24. Steals: St. Edmond 4, Iowa Falls-Alden 3. Blocked shots: St. Edmond 1, Iowa Falls-Alden 1. Turnovers: St. Edmond 10, Iowa Falls-Alden 10.