COON RAPIDS — The St. Edmond girls battled, fought and hung tough here Friday night in a Class 1A regional semifinal.

In the end, foul trouble and a free-throw imbalance kept the Gaels from advancing, as Coon Rapids-Bayard secured a 50-42 victory in double overtime.

The Crusaders (18-4 overall) move on to a regional championship against No. 3 Newell-Fonda (19-4) on Wednesday at Fort Dodge Senior High. The Mustangs knocked off Woodbury Central last night, 79-25.

Senior Payton Bradley sent the game to the second extra period by swishing a three-pointer with 13 seconds remaining. Coon Rapids-Bayard took advantage of several trips to the charity stripe over the final four minutes, though, to avoid the upset.

“During a timeout, Payton was frustrated over a call or a non-call, but we just told her to keep her head up because she was going to hit the game-tying shot,” SEHS head coach CJ Tracy said. “We designed the play for her and she knocked it down just like she has done all year.”

Chloe Palmer led the way for the Gaels (8-15) with 15 points. Bradley and Abby Huss both added eight. Josie Harvey had seven and Anna Lursen four.

For CR-B, Anna Hart had 23 points, Ella Heithoff contributed 14 and Malia Clayburg added eight. Hart was 15 of 18 from the free throw line.

Neither team could get going early, as St. Edmond led 4-3 after the first quarter. The Crusaders would take a 17-12 lead into the break before the Gaels battled back in the third with a 12-7 run, highlighted by back-to-back triples from Huss out of the break.

“Once we hit a big shot or two, it seems to really get everybody going,” Tracy said. “We got better ball movement after the slow start, and our defensive effort remained strong throughout.

“We’re just so proud of these girls for what they did on the court all night long.”

Both Lursen and Bradley were hit with their fourth fouls less than a minute into the fourth period. Harvey sank a 3-pointer to give St. Edmond a 29-26 lead with five to go.

Coon Rapids-Bayard went on a 6-0 run before Bradley knocked down another triple to stop the rally.

The Crusaders, who shot 15 more free throws than the Gaels through regulation alone, were able to tie the game from the stripe late.

In the first OT, Palmer put St. Edmond up 39-37 with a bucket with just over two minutes to go before CR-B knocked down more free throws to take the lead. Bradley launched her game-tying three-pointer, and the Crusaders were unable to get off a shot.

Palmer fouled out midway through the second extra session, and a trey from Aubrey Hofbauer gave CR-B a 45-42 lead.

Coon Rapids-Bayard finished 23-for-30 from the charity stripe compared to the Gaels, who were only 2 of 5.

“It was a little frustrating with some of the calls because it felt like they could have gone both ways,” Tracy said. “But we just kept telling the girls to keep battling and keep fighting. That’s what they did until the very end.”

The game marked the final one for St. Edmond seniors Bradley, Harvey and Braelynn Rees. The eight wins tied the most in a season since 2016-17, while two postseason victories were achieved for the first time since 2013-14.

“Coach (Shawn) Neverman and I are so proud of the seniors and what they have done for our program,” Tracy said. “They have represented the Gael uniform extremely well and will be missed.”