The St. Edmond girls nearly secured their first win over Clear Lake since 2015 here Friday night.

Down early, the Gaels fought back to within a point late, but were unable to take the lead, falling 43-42 inside the SEHS gym.

St. Edmond (14-5 overall, 9-4 in North Central Conference) was forced to try and commit four fouls in the final seconds to send the Lions (17-3, 13-1) to the line.

Eden Horn scored 17 points with 18 rebounds and four blocked shots to lead the Gaels, who saw their four-game win streak come to an end. Chloe Palmer added 11 points and six rebounds, as Anna Lursen scored seven with five rebounds and three steals.

“Just tremendous effort and heart all night from the girls,” SEHS head coach CJ Tracy said. “We didn’t have everything clicking on the offensive end, but they continued to fight and scratch on defense to stay in it.

“We were able to make some adjustments and did a nice job defending. I’m just so proud of the effort from the girls. I know it is disappointing (to lose), but they did everything they could out there.”

Clear Lake was led by Ashleigh Amble, as the 6-foot-4 senior scored 18 points with nine rebounds. Jacelyn Ainley and Finlee Jeppeson each added eight points.

The Lions used a 12-0 run to close the first quarter, erasing a slim deficit. They would never trail again, though, St. Edmond did get it down to two points in the third quarter on a basket by Lursen.

“These girls just continue to amaze me,” Tracy said. “They take on all the adversity that comes their way and they never flinch.”

The Gaels held Clear Lake to just five points over the final eight minutes, as Horn scored six during that stretch to pull them closer. Palmer was also 3-for-3 at the free throw line.

St. Edmond concludes its regular season on Tuesday when they host Webster City.

CLEAR LAKE 43,

ST. EDMOND 42

St. Edmond — Sophia Schlienz 1 1-2 4, Anna Lursen 3 1-2 7, Chloe Palmer 3 3-3 11, Eden Horn 6 5-6 17, Abby Huss 1 0-0 3, Maggie Flaherty 0 0-0 0, Olivia Andrew 0 0-0 0, Jade Rock 0 0-0 0, Ava Bradley 0 0-0 0. Totals: 14 10-13 42.

Clear Lake — Alexis Theiss 0 0-0 0, Aspen Hill 0 0-0 0, Taylor Schwenn 2 0-0 4, Jacelyn Ainley 3 2-2 8, Ashleigh Amble 6 6-8 18, Finlee Jeppeson 2 3-5 8, Maddison Riser 1 0-0 3, Berkley Smith 1 0-0 2. Totals: 15 11-15 43.

Quarter scores: Clear Lake led 18-8, 26-24, 38-33. Three-point goals: St. Edmond 4 (Palmer 2, Schlienz 1, Huss 1), Clear Lake 2 (Jeppeson 1, Riser 1). Total rebounds: St. Edmond 39, Clear Lake 34. Steals: St. Edmond 3, Clear Lake 10. Blocked shots: St. Edmond 5, Clear Lake 2. Turnovers: St. Edmond 18, Clear Lake 13. Team fouls: St. Edmond 15, Clear Lake 16. Fouled out: Schlienz.