It took the St. Edmond boys a little while to get going here Monday night against Storm Lake St. Mary’s.

But once they did, there was no looking back.

Jackson Palmer scored 28 and Sam Mericle added 27 as the Gaels blew past the Panthers inside the SEHS gym in a non-conference affair, 69-34.

Palmer accounted for all 28 of his points after a slow first quarter that saw St. Edmond lead just 10-6. He answered in the second, scoring 12, while Mericle had 10 in the same period as the Gaels outscored St. Mary’s, 22-12.

“Once we got some stops on defense, we were able to get out and run on offense,” SEHS head coach Adolph Kochendorfer said. “It was tough there in the early going. You come into games like this hearing how you should win and that can be difficult to ignore.

“When we were able to start putting stops together, we played pretty good basketball.”

Palmer also had eight steals and grabbed three rebounds, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers. Mericle, who also hit two triples, had four rebounds and three steals, while JT Laufersweiler and Jack McElroy each had five rebounds.

“We still gave up too many easy looks inside to (Bennett Smith),” Kochendorfer said. “We struggle against big post players. I thought we did a better job in the second half of denying and forcing tough passes.

“Our kids might not be the biggest, but they work to find ways to rebound the ball.”

St. Edmond (3-9 overall) went on an 8-0 run to start the second, pushing its lead to 12. They scored 22 of the first 29 points in the quarter, and were in control up 32-18 at the break.

A quick start in the third allowed the Gaels to play with more composure while still keeping up the intensity.

“It’s always good to get a win,” Kochendorfer said. “We’ve had some tough ones this year, so to see the kids come out and earn it, that was good.”

Johnny Dickerson chipped in eight points and four rebounds for the Gaels.

Leading the way for St. Mary’s was Smith, as the senior tallied the first eight points for his team, finishing with 21 to go along with 13 rebounds and two blocks.

A four-game week continues on Tuesday for St. Edmond, as they return to North Central Conference play vs. Clarion-Goldfield/Dows. The Gaels head to fourth-ranked (Class 3A) Clear Lake on Thursday before hosting No. 10 (3A) Humboldt Friday.

ST. EDMOND 69, STORM LAKE ST. MARY’S 34

St. Edmond — Jackson Palmer 11-19 4-4 28, Sam Mericle 11-14 3-3 27, JT Laufersweiler 1-3 1-2 3, Jack McElroy 0-3 0-0 0, Aaron Lursen 0-2 0-0 0, Grant Galles 0-3 3-4 3, Johnny Dickerson 3-5 1-2 8, Elias Kolacia 0-1 0-0 0, Thomas Cosgrove 0-0 0-0 0, Anthony Valles 0-1 0-0 0, Jacob Moore 0-0 0-0 0, Jamison Baker 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 26-51 12-15 69.

St. Mary’s — John Heitman 1-4 1-2 4, Lane Carlson 2-9 3-5 7, Aidan Cavazos 1-4 0-0 2, Jesus Melendez 0-1 0-0 0, Bennett Smith 8-14 5-6 21, Dylan Martin 0-1 0-0 0, Brendon Peterson 0-0 0-0 0, Owen Keenan 0-0 0-0 0, Santiago Soria 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 12-33 9-13 34.

Quarter scores: St. Edmond led 10-6, 32-18, 44-25. Three-point goals: St. Edmond 5-13 (Palmer 2, Mericle 2, Dickerson 1), St. Mary’s 1-6 (Heitman 1). Total rebounds: St. Edmond 26, St. Mary’s 24. Steals: St. Edmond 17, St. Mary’s 5. Blocked shots: St. Mary’s 2. Team fouls: St. Edmond 11, St. Mary’s 12. Turnovers: St. Edmond 12, St. Mary’s 31.