The St. Edmond boys rode the wave of momentum that started before tip here Friday night.

Playing in front of a maximum-capacity crowd inside the Gael gym, St. Edmond honored legendary head coach Adolph Kochendorfer by ending Clear Lake’s 49-game North Central Conference win streak with a thrilling 48-44 victory.

Before the game started, St. Edmond players past and present honored Kochendorfer with a ceremony commemorating his career. Kochendorfer has announced plans to retire after the season.

From there, the fourth-ranked (Class 1A) Gaels (18-2 overall, 12-1 in league) secured a split on the year with the Lions (15-2, 11-1), who last lost in the conference on Jan. 13, 2023 to Humboldt. Clear Lake had also won 19 straight over St. Edmond, dating back to Jan. 22, 2016.

“It feels amazing,” said Jakob Koopman, who scored a game-high 17 points, including a key 3-pointer in the fourth. “We knew we just had to make stops (in the fourth to erase a deficit) and stay focused on offense. We played our game and found a way to do it.

“It was even better winning a game like this in front of a crowd like we had. It was so loud and intense. The crowd was just amazing.”

Koopman, one of five senior starters for St. Edmond, also had seven rebounds and blocked three shots. He drained a pair of triples in the third to keep the Gaels within striking distance as Clear Lake went on a 19-4 run.

Carson Bargfrede had 13, with eight of those coming in the opening quarter, with three steals and Hunter Horn finished with 12 points, eight rebounds, three steals and three blocks.

Horn, who is the school’s career scoring leader, tallied six in the final moments to help seal the comeback win.

“There was so much energy coming from the crowd,” Horn said. “We played hard and just kept giving as much effort as we could. We knew if we continued to do that, good things would happen.”

In the first meeting between the two, Clear Lake took control in the fourth. This time, the Lions were held to just six points over the final eight minutes after scoring 21 in the third.

“We talked about staying focused and composed,” Kochendorfer said. “I thought we did a great job of that. Clear Lake is a big, physical team that can really wear on you and wear you down. We don’t have the numbers to match them, but we definitely had a lot of heart from the kids.”

Carson Riser and Max Larson each scored 10 for the Lions, as Iowa State football recruit Jaxson McIntire added eight.

Down 43-37 with just over five to play, Koopman drained a 3-pointer and Horn followed with a bucket to bring the Gaels within one. After a Horn drive to the basket and layup, St. Edmond would not trail again, as a block by Horn and an offensive rebound from Koopman helped secure the win.

The Gaels conclude the regular season back here on Tuesday when they host Webster City. With a win, they will secure at least a share of the NCC title with Clear Lake.

It would mark the first time doing so since 2009-10 when they shared it with Algona.

ST. EDMOND 48, CLEAR LAKE 44

St. Edmond — Jakob Koopman 6 1-2 17, Jack McElroy 1 2-2 4, Grant Galles 0 0-0 0, Hunter Horn 3 6-11 12, Carson Bargfrede 5 1-2 13, Ty Mericle 0 0-0 0, Logan Hanson 1 0-0 2. Totals: 16 10-16 46.

Clear Lake — Jaxson McIntire 4 0-0 8, Trevor Theobald 3 0-0 7, Luke Fuhrman 0 0-0 0, Carson Riser 4 0-0 10, Max Larson 4 1-2 10, Bradyn Watkins 1 0-0 2, Gage Larson 0 0-0 0, Coby Orte 2 0-2 4, Isaac Brownlee 0 0-0 0, Dylan Plagge 1 0-0 3. Totals: 19 1-4 44.

Quarter scores: St. Edmond led 16-7, 25-17; Clear Lake led 38-36. Three-point goals: St. Edmond 6 (Koopman 4, Bargfrede 2), Clear Lake 5 (Riser 2, Theobald 1, M. Larson 1, Plagge 1). Total rebounds: St. Edmond 27, Clear Lake 35. Steals: St. Edmond 9, Clear Lake 9. Blocked shots: St. Edmond 6, Clear Lake 1. Turnovers: St. Edmond 15, Clear Lake 14. Team fouls: St. Edmond 10, Clear Lake 19. Fouled out: M. Larson.