-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Michaela Leting of St. Edmond dives for a loose ball against Webster City on Tuesday

Mark Fisher has waited six games to see the sense of joy and excitement on the faces of his Webster City girls.

Fisher finally got to experience that here Tuesday night as the Lynx topped St. Edmond for their first win of the season, 45-31.

Livia Kasch scored nine points with 10 rebounds, three steals and a block, while Olivia Gallentine added eight points off the bench.

“I’m just extremely happy for the girls to get a win,” said Fisher, who is in his first season. “They have been working so hard and improving so much, and it’s good to see them get to celebrate a win to go with that work.”

Adysen Poppen added seven points and five steals, Alley Odland six points and Reese Casey five as Webster City (1-6 overall, 1-2 in North Central Conference) broke a close game open in the fourth.

For the Gaels (0-6, 0-3), Anna Lursen, Anna Kolacia and Josie Harvey each scored six points, with Silvia Heldorfer grabbing nine rebounds.

“The effort was there,” SEHS head coach CJ Tracy said. “We just had too many of the same mistakes that have hurt us all year. Some girls got into foul trouble and that kind of messed with our rotations.”

Neither team was able to put together much on the offensive end in the first quarter, as the Lynx led 6-4. Webster City took a 19-16 edge into the break as Kasch scored seven in the opening 16 minutes and Poppen added five of the bench.

After a back-and-forth third that resulted in a four-point lead for the Lynx, five different players made a field goal in the fourth and seven scored as they put St. Edmond away.

“I thought the girls played extremely hard and set a tone with their defense,” Fisher said. “They were really able to take them out of a lot of what they wanted to do offensively.

“I also thought we got some great shots, especially in the first half and just couldn’t get many to fall. But I was proud of how we kept that defensive intensity up during that stretch.”

In the fourth, Fisher saw it all come together.

“We kept talking about how at some point, we’d go on a run,” he said. “It took until the fourth, but we finally got some shots to fall to go with our defense. It was just a really great effort against a very tough and scrappy team.

“Hopefully, this helps us build a little more confidence moving forward.”

Casey had nine rebounds, Addyson Beaulieu recorded five steals and Odland had three assists.

St. Edmond’s Lauren Gibb recorded seven rebounds, while Harvey had six rebounds and two steals. Lursen also had four boards and two steals.

Up next for Webster City will be the Legacy Game at Webster City Middle School on Friday against Clarion-Goldfield/Dows, while the Gaels head to Clear Lake that night.

WEBSTER CITY 45, ST. EDMOND 31

Webster City — Chloe Andersen 0 2-2 2, Addyson Beaulieu 1 2-7 4, Alley Odland 3 0-2 6, Reese Casey 2 1-2 5, Livia Kasch 3 2-2 9, Olivia Gallentine 3 2-4 8, Adysen Poppen 3 1-2 7, Fallon Casey 0 0-0 0, Ava Peterson 1 1-2 3, Kennedy Halling 0 1-2 1, Joleah Stuhr 0 0-0 0. Totals: 16 12-25 45.

St. Edmond — Michaela Leiting 2 0-0 4, Silvia Heldorfer 1 0-1 2, Anna Kolacia 1 4-6 6, Kaili Henning 1 0-0 3, Lauren Gibb 2 0-1 4, Josie Harvey 2 2-3 6, Anna Lursen 2 2-6 6, Abby Lawler 0 0-0 0, Payton Bradley 0 0-2 0, Maggie Flaherty 0 0-0 0, Braelynn Rees 0 0-0 0, Ava Underberg 0 0-0 0. Totals: 9 8-19 31.

Quarter scores: Webster City led 6-4, 19-16, 28-24. Three-point goals: Webster City 1 (Kasch 1), St. Edmond 1 (Henning 1). Total rebounds: Webster City 37, St. Edmond 33. Steals: Webster City 15, St. Edmond 8. Blocked shots: Webster City 3, St. Edmond 1. Personal fouls: Webster City 19, St. Edmond 24. Fouled out: Harvey. Turnovers: Webster City 21, St. Edmond 33.