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
| 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.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
