-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Jakob Koopman of St. Edmond shoots around Algona on Tuesday inside Gaels gym

The start of postseason basketball is still weeks away.

But St. Edmond boys head coach Adolph Kochendorfer knows that games like Tuesday’s North Central Conference battle with Algona only helps prepare the Gaels for that grind.

Hunter Horn scored 27 points, Jakob Koopman added 17 with 13 rebounds and St. Edmond remained unbeaten on the season with a 79-58 victory inside the SEHS gym.

A pair of key runs during the second and fourth quarters helped the Gaels (3-0 overall, 3-0 in league) put some separation between themselves and the Bulldogs (2-1, 0-1).

“I thought we showed a lot of poise and mental toughness,” Kochendorfer said. “These are the kinds of battles we are going to be in down the road this season because we are always going to get the best effort of the opposition.

“By being smart, playing good defense and rebounding, we were able to get the win.”

Carson Bargfrede and Grant Galles both added 11 points each, as Bargfrede grabbed eight rebounds and had four steals. Koopman also had four steals and Jack McElroy chipped in eight points with five rebounds and three steals.

For Algona, Nathan Manske scored 16, Landon Campe 14 and Jacob Burns 13.

“They are a big, physical team,” Kochendorfer said. “But they have some really good shooters too. I thought we did a nice job of staying with them for the most part and trying to contest shots.

“It’s tough when you are battling inside for rebounds, but our kids did a great job fighting for everything.”

St. Edmond scored the first nine points of the game, as all five starters contributed buckets in the opening eight minutes. They led by as many as 12 early, using an 18-4 run in the second quarter to see that advantage grow to 19.

Horn scored 13 in the first 16 minutes, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers, as Koopman added seven and McElroy six.

After the Bulldogs put together a run fueled by some key 3-pointers, the Gaels opened the fourth on a 9-0 spurt to put the contest back out of reach.

“That was really good to see by our kids,” Kochendorfer said. “They didn’t let Algona’s run bother them and they just focused on what they could do.”

St. Edmond has two more games on the docket before the calendar flips to 2026, heading to Hampton-Dumont/CAL Friday night before meeting defending Class 1A state champion Madrid on Saturday at Iowa Central in the Hardwood Classic. The Tigers eliminated the Gaels in the semifinals last season.

ST. EDMOND 79, ALGONA 58

St. Edmond — Jakob Koopman 6 4-4 17, Jack McElroy 4 0-0 8, Grant Galles 4 2-2 11, Hunter Horn 11 3-4 27, Carson Bargfrede 4 2-2 11, Ty Mericle 1 0-0 3, Logan Hanson 1 0-0 2, Thomas Ehn 0 0-0 0, Griffin Laufersweiler 0 0-0 0. Totals: 31 11-12 79.

Algona — Evan Allie 2 0-2 6, Jacob Burns 4 2-2 13, Nathan Manske 7 0-0 16, Jaxon Eischen 3 1-2 7, Landon Campe 5 2-2 14, Levi Walker 0 0-0 0, Brooks Kuhlmann 0 0-0 0, Skylar Ostwald 0 0-0 0, Aiden Engel 1 0-0 2. Totals: 22 5-8 58.

Quarter scores: St. Edmond led 22-12, 38-22, 56-40. Three-point goals: St. Edmond 4 (Horn 2, Koopman 1, Bargfrede 1, Mericle 1), Algona 9 (Burns 3, Allie 2, Manske 2, Campe 2). Total rebounds: St. Edmond 38, Algona 23. Steals: St. Edmond 14, Algona 7. Blocked shots: St. Edmond 2, Algona 3. Turnovers: St. Edmond 14, Algona 19. Team fouls: St. Edmond 11, Algona 14. Fouled out: Manske.