-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Chloe Palmer of St. Edmond shoots over Hampton-Dumont on Friday inside Gaels gym

For the better part of 32 minutes here Friday night, the St. Edmond girls stood toe-to-toe with No. 13 (Class 3A) Hampton-Dumont/CAL.

In the end, the experience of the Bulldogs prevailed, as they scored a 46-34 victory inside the SEHS gym.

Competing for the second straight night, and third time in four days, the Gaels (1-5 overall, 0-3 in North Central Conference) pushed co-NCC leader Hampton-Dumont/CAL (7-0, 4-0) several times throughout the game.

They cut an 11-point deficit down to four in the third quarter, and were within six with just over five minutes to play.

“I will never question the effort of our girls,” SEHS head coach CJ Tracy said. “They always play hard and that was no different (Friday night). We struggled a little bit early on with their press but once we settled down and talked about the easier way to break it, we had some success.

“Honestly, the way they are playing on both ends of the court right now is far beyond my expectations. I have no doubt that when we come off the Christmas break, we are going to put some wins on the board.”

Seniors Josie Harvey and Payton Bradley combined for 20 points to lead the way, as Harvey scored nine of her 13 in the second half. Chloe Palmer added eight points and Anna Lursen had six points, 12 rebounds and three steals.

For the Bulldogs, Jordan Valley had 14, Charlee Morton added 10 and Brooklyn Valley scored nine. Jordan and Brooklyn Valley are senior sisters, while MacKenzy Valley is a freshman.

The Valley twins have been staples in the H-D/CAL lineup since they were freshmen, as Jordan has now played in 72 games and Brooklyn 71. Another senior, Lily Hambly has played in 65 game, with the trio scoring a combined 1,687 points over their careers.

“Those girls have played a ton of basketball and not just at the high school level,” Tracy said. “I thought we did an excellent job defending them. Anna really was all over the court but everybody stepped up and did a great job.”

Olivia Andrew was one of those who was forced into early action due to foul trouble. The freshman, matched up with Morton, a track standout with multiple Drake Relays and state titles to her credit, had seven rebounds off the bench.

“Morton is a force inside,” Tracy said. “Abby (Huss) and Liv really defended her well.”

St. Edmond returns to action in 2025 when they take on South Hamilton from Wells Fargo Arena in West Des Moines on Thursday, Jan. 2.

HAMPTON-DUMONT/CAL 46, ST. EDMOND 34

St. Edmond — Anna Lursen 2 2-4 6, Payton Bradley 3 0-0 7, Chloe Palmer 3 2-2 8, Abby Huss 0 0-0 0, Josie Harvey 6 0-0 13, Maggie Flaherty 0 0-0 0, Sophie Schlienz 0 0-0 0, Olivia Andrew 0 0-4 0. Totals: 14 4-10 34.

Hampton-Dumont/CAL — Jordan Valley 5 2-4 14, MacKenzy Valley 2 0-0 5, Lily Hambly 2 2-2 6, Brooklyn Valley 3 1-2 9, Charlee Morton 4 2-4 10, Kenzie Moorehead 0 0-0 0, Madison Heilskov 1 0-0 2, Addison Aalbers 0 0-0 0. Totals: 17 7-12 46.

Quarter scores: Hampton-Dumont/CAL led 14-9, 28-19, 38-29. Three-point goals: St. Edmond 2 (Bradley 1, Harvey 1), Hampton-Dumont/CAL 5 (J. Valley 2, M. Valley 1, B. Valley 2). Total rebounds: St. Edmond 36, Hampton-Dumont/CAL 30. Steals: St. Edmond 8, Hampton-Dumont/CAL 11. Blocked shots: St. Edmond 1, Hampton-Dumont/CAL 1. Turnovers: St. Edmond 20, Hampton-Dumont/CAL 18. Team fouls: St. Edmond 15, Hampton-Dumont/CAL 14. Fouled out: Lursen, Huss.