Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: Hunter Horn and his St. Edmond teammates rush off the court following their Class 1A state quarterfinal win over Woodbine on Tuesday. For more photos, please visit CU.messengernews.net

DES MOINES — The St. Edmond boys needed a wake-up call here on Tuesday in the Class 1A quarterfinals vs. Woodbine.

Jakob Koopman’s 3-pointer to start the scoring in the second quarter provided the jolt of energy that was needed, giving the top-seed and No. 1 Gaels a lead they would never relinquish in a 60-44 victory inside the Casey’s Center.

With the win, St. Edmond (24-2 overall) will now meet Burlington Notre Dame back here on Thursday at 2 p.m. for a 1A semifinal tilt. The Nikes knocked off Bellevue, 68-62.

“It definitely felt good getting that first (3-pointer) to fall,” Koopman said. “We didn’t do a very good job on defense or rebounding in the first (period), so we had to focus in on that.

“Once we were able to do that, we controlled the game.”

Hunter Horn, battling an ankle injury from the first quarter on, scored a team-high 17 points with nine rebounds, two blocks and two assists. Carson Bargfrede added 14 points and six rebounds, and Koopman finished with 11 points and six rebounds.

Koopman finished off the strong second with another triple, as the Gaels outscored the Tigers, 19-6. They used 12-2 closing run to give them a 13-point cushion at the break.

The senior was hobbled last year during the state tournament after suffering an injury in the substate final.

“We didn’t come out and play like we were capable of,” SEHS head coach Adolph Kochendorfer said. “We had a lot of turnovers and didn’t do a good enough job on the glass. We were giving them too many second-chance points, and (Woodbine) converted.

“But we didn’t get rattled. We settled in and started to do a better job rebounding the basketball and playing defense. Hunter got some baskets, Carson got going and we got rebounding from a lot of different players.”

In the third period, Bargfrede stepped up, scoring nine points as St. Edmond continued to build on the lead. The senior and Buena Vista commit drained a three-pointer and was effective getting to the free throw line, where he converted 4 of 6 attempts.

“Coach always tells us to get to the free throw line and see the ball go through the hoop to give you confidence,” Bargfrede said. “I wasn’t really in my comfort zone at the beginning with nerves building up. But we talked at the half and that settled my nerves down.

“I was able to just rely on my game and do what I needed to do.”

Things did not start well for the Gaels, as Woodbine pressured them into five turnovers that resulted in five quick points. They also were plus-5 on the glass early, and top football prospect Landon Blum scored seven points.

But the Tigers would not score another point on a St. Edmond turnover until the fourth, as the Gaels protected the basketball and had just one turnover in the second period.

Blum finished with a game-high 20 points and 11 rebounds. Jax Pryor added 15 points and nine rebounds.

Woodbine managed just four more points off turnovers after the opening eight minutes, though, as the Gaels forced them to scramble on both ends.

“We definitely felt them getting tired,” Horn said. “We play against bigger, more physical teams all the time in the North Central Conference, so this was nothing new for us.

“We knew we could compete with that kind of play.”

Senior Jack McElroy added six points, five rebounds and four assists, with just one turnover in 31 minutes on the court. Grant Galles, another senior, added eight points and two steals. He also knocked down one of the seven 3-pointers by St. Edmond in the game.

Ty Mericle, a junior and the first player off the bench, swished a key trey and grabbed five rebounds.

This marked the second straight year the Gaels have eliminated Woodbine in the elite eight, as they did so last season on their way to an appearance in the semis.

ST. EDMOND 60, WOODBINE 44

St. Edmond – Jakob Koopman 4-8 1-2 11, Jack McElroy 2-6 2-4 6, Grant Galles 3-5 1-2 8, Hunter Horn 7-17 2-4 17, Carson Bargfrede 4-12 4-6 14, Ty Mericle 1-2 0-0 3, Jackson Calvert 0-1 0-0 0, Griffin Laufersweiler 0-0 0-0 0, Thomas Ehn 0-0 0-0 0, Logan Hanson 0-1 0-0 0, Jacob Moore 0-0 0-0 0, Jacob Nieland 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 21-52 11-20 60.

Woodbine – Ayden Coenen 0-1 0-0 0, Brodyn Pryor 3-8 0-0 7, Landon Blum 7-19 6-6 20, Micah Moores 1-3 0-2 2, Jax Pryor 6-15 3-10 15, Aiden Summerfield 0-0 0-0 0, Blaine Leaders 0-1 0-0 0, Vincent Meisinger 0-0 0-0 0, Carter Cox 0-0 0-0 0, Braden Barry 0-1 0-0 0, Emil Hamann 0-0 0-0 0, Henry Gruver 0-2 0-0 0. Totals: 17-50 9-18 44.

Quarter scores: Tied 12-12; St. Edmond led 31-18, 48-31. Three-point goals: St. Edmond 7-18 (Koopman 2-3, McElroy 0-2, Galles 1-3, Horn 1-1, Bargfrede 2-7, Mericle 1-2), Woodbine 1-17 (B. Pryor 1-5, Blum 0-7, J. Pryor 3-10, Leaders 0-1, Barry 0-1, Gruver 0-2). Total rebounds: St. Edmond 35, Woodbine 39. Assists: St. Edmond 9, Woodbine 5. Steals: St. Edmond 5, Woodbine 7. Blocked shots: St. Edmond 2, Woodbine 1. Turnovers: St. Edmond 14, Woodbine 18. Team fouls: St. Edmond 15, Woodbine 20. Fouled out: Coenen.