Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: St. Edmond's Jakob Koopman drives and scores during a Class 2A district final on Tuesday in the Gael gym. For more photos, please visit CU.messengernews.net

The top-ranked (Class 1A) St. Edmond boys have been a model of consistency this postseason.

That continued here Tuesday night, as the Gaels secured a district title with a convincing 78-58 victory over Ankeny Christian inside a packed SEHS gym.

With the win, St. Edmond (22-2 overall) advances to Saturday night’s substate championship in Des Moines from the Knapp Center on the campus of Drake University vs. Riverside (14-10) at 7 p.m.

Led by a starting lineup of five seniors, the Gaels put together a complete performance vs. the Eagles (20-5), led by career scoring leader Hunter Horn.

Horn scored a game-high 23 points and had 11 rebounds with five blocked shots. Grant Galles continued his red-hot postseason run with 19 points, knocking down three 3-pointers, as Jack McElroy added 11 and Jakob Koopman finished with 10.

Galles recorded six rebounds; McElroy dished out nine assists and grabbed six rebounds; Koopman had five rebounds and Carson Bargfrede chipped in three points with four rebounds.

“We really had a good start,” SEHS head coach Adolph Kochendorfer said. “They were running at Hunter and forcing him to pass the ball. I thought the kids stepped up and made some big shots, especially Grant and Jack.”

Galles, who had 11 made triples on the year entering district play, has knocked down 14 over the last three games — all 20-plus point wins for St. Edmond. He scored seven in the first quarter to lead the way last night.

“I just had to get my confidence back,” Galles said. “I spent some extra time in the gym after practice and on the weekend working on doing that.

“It’s felt great these last few games. I’m just excited to keep playing.”

The Gaels finished a perfect 13-0 at home this year, playing the last eight in a row in on their new home floor. That included a win over No. 5 (3A) Clear Lake along with seven other victories by at least 18 points.

“We’ve really enjoyed playing at home this postseason,” Galles said. “It feels great winning my last game inside the ‘Fish Tank’ with my teammates.”

Along with this being the final home game for the 10 St. Edmond players on the roster, it marked the final contest in the Gael gym for Kochendorfer, who announced plans to retire following this season.

This was the 14th district title for Kochendorfer at St. Edmond, who took over the program in 1994-95. He led the Gaels to their lone state championship in 2000, as well as four runner-up finishes and five other state trips.

St. Edmond is 10-3 in substate finals under Kochendorfer’s leadership, including a 7-0 mark in the last seven since 2004.

Riverside, which upset top district seed Southwest Valley last week, bested Bedford in the district championship, 55-42. The Bulldogs have won four straight and are 6-4 over the last 10 games.

The Gaels will be seeking their 15th overall state trip as a program and 11th in 32 seasons under Kochendorfer, who is now 512-258 with St. Edmond and 615-328 overall in his illustrious coaching career.

ST. EDMOND 78, ANKENY CHRISTIAN 58

St. Edmond — Jakob Koopman 5 0-0 10, Jack McElroy 4 1-2 11, Grant Galles 7 2-2 19, Hunter Horn 9 5-8 23, Carson Bargfrede 1 1-2 3, Ty Mericle 2 2-2 8, Logan Hanson 0 0-0 0, Jackson Calvert 0 0-0 0, Thomas Ehn 1 0-0 2, Griffin Laufersweiler 0 0-0 0, Jacob Moore 1 0-0 2. Totals: 30 11-17 78.

Ankeny Christian — Jed Rood 5 0-0 10, Kade Clarkson 4 0-0 12, Tyson Fincham 2 2-3 6, Andrew Mora 3 0-0 7, Marcus Pedersen 5 0-0 10, Isaac Venema 1 0-0 2, Hudson Davis 1 0-0 3, Lucas Erickson 1 0-0 2, Zach Quick 1 1-2 3, Max Porter 0 1-2 1. Totals: 24 4-7 58.

Quarter scores: St. Edmond led 20-10, 38-23, 57-35. Three-point goals: St. Edmond 7 (Galles 3, McElroy 2, Mericle 2), Ankeny Christian 6 (Clarkson 4, Mora 1, Davis 1). Total rebounds: St. Edmond 36, Ankeny Christian 26. Steals: St. Edmond 2, Ankeny Christian 2. Blocked shots: St. Edmond 7, Ankeny Christian 2. Turnovers: St. Edmond 12, Ankeny Christian 6. Team fouls: St. Edmond 13, Ankeny Christian 21.