Stuck in a stretch of battles with the top teams in the North Central Conference, the St. Edmond boys stepped out of league play and earned a win here Thursday night.

Sam Mericle scored 16 with Jack McElroy and Hunter Horn adding 15 each as the Gaels topped West Bend-Mallard, 61-34.

Horn, a sophomore, recorded another double-double, pulling down 11 rebounds. He also blocked two shots and had two steals.

For the Wolverines, Landon Montag had 16 points and 11 rebounds.

“We needed this one,” SEHS head coach Adolph Kochendorfer said. “It can be tough to get out of a losing streak when you are playing in the conference we compete in. Night in and night out, it’s difficult.

“We came out and really attacked on the defensive end. Both teams struggled there in the second before we were able to use our defense again in the third to gain some cushion.”

St. Edmond (7-7 overall) was coming off back-to-back losses to Webster City and Humboldt. They jumped out early on West Bend-Mallard (3-12), taking a 17-6 lead on the heels of a 10-0 closing run to the quarter.

Mericle, a senior, had seven in the period, with four others also scoring buckets.

Neither team could break the ice in the second, going almost five minutes without a point being scored. An Andrew Clavey 3-pointer made it 20-6 in favor of the Gaels as they were able to maintain a double-digit advantage throughout.

“It was just one of those nights where nothing would fall,” Kochendorfer said. “We were getting good looks and just coming up short. That will happen, especially with a team really out there working hard and trying to get the win.”

McElroy scored 13 of his 15 in the second half as St. Edmond built a 30-point lead after a three-point play from Horn.

The Gaels have won three of four meetings between the two, holding the Wolverines under 40 points three times.

Now, St. Edmond returns to NCC play when they host Clear Lake Friday night. West Bend-Mallard heads to Emmetsburg.

ST. EDMOND 61, WEST BEND-MALLARD 34

St. Edmond — Sam Mericle 6 2-2 16, Jakob Koopman 1 0-0 3, Jack McElroy 7 0-0 15, JT Laufersweiler 2 0-0 4, Hunter Horn 7 1-1 15, Grant Galles 2 1-2 5, Andrew Clavey 1 0-0 3, Ty Mericle 0 0-0 0, Elias Kolacia 0 0-0 0, Thomas Cosgrove 0 0-0 0, Jackson Calvert 0 0-0 0. Totals: 26 4-5 61.

West Bend-Mallard — Houston Nielsen 1 0-0 2, Landon Montag 6 2-2 16, Mitch Stevens 0 1-2 1, Klayton Jones 3 0-0 6, Abner Zaugg 4 1-2 9, Aidan Yoch 0 0-0 0. Totals: 14 4-6 34.

Quarter scores: St. Edmond led 17-6, 28-12, 45-22. Three-point goals: St. Edmond 6 (S. Mericle 2, McElroy 2, Koopman 1, Clavey 1), West Bend-Mallard 2 (Montag 2). Total rebounds: St. Edmond 32, West Bend-Mallard 30. Steals: St. Edmond 7, West Bend-Mallard 5. Blocked shots: St. Edmond 5, West Bend-Mallard 0. Turnovers: St. Edmond 13, West Bend-Mallard 21. Team fouls: St. Edmond 12, West Bend-Mallard 6.