Basketball Recap: Thursday's Win Is St. Mary's Tenth in Last 11 Outings

St. Mary had already proven themselves in the regular season and they didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They enjoyed a cozy 44-28 victory over the Elgin/Pope John Wolfpack on Thursday. The 44-point effort marked the Cardinals' lowest-scoring contest of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.

Gage Hedstrom

Rebounds

02/27/25 vs Elgin/Pope John	12
02/25/25 vs Neligh-Oakdale	2
02/21/25 @ Elgin/Pope John	5
02/13/25 vs West Holt	5
02/11/25 vs Boyd County	5
+ 14 more games

Leading St. Mary's to victory were Gage Hedstrom and Ben Barlow. Hedstrom dropped a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds, while Barlow shot 44% from the field on his way to 16 points and five boards. That's the most boards Hedstrom has posted since back in December of 2024. Another player making a difference was Logan Brabec, who earned three points and seven rebounds.

When it comes to explaining why Elgin/Pope John lost, don't look at Jarek Erickson. Despite the final result, he almost dropped a double-double with nine points and 15 boards. Erickson is also on a roll when it comes to field goal percentage, as he's posted one of at least 50% in the last six games he's played. Karson Kallhoff also deserves some recognition as he posted his first block of the season.

St. Mary's is on a roll lately: they've won ten of their last 11 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 20-5 record this season. The defeat snapped Elgin/Pope John's winning streak at four games and leaves them with a 15-10 record.

St. Mary's has already played their next matchup (against Bayard), but no score has been uploaded at the time of writing. As for Elgin/Pope John, they have already played their next contest, a 43-36 win against Kenesaw on the 1st.