MANSON — The ninth-ranked (Class 1A) St. Edmond boys earned a gritty win over Manson Northwest Webster here Thursday night, 56-52.

Down the stretch, the Gaels were 7-for-10 from the free throw line to complete the comeback on the road and win their third straight overall.

St. Edmond (9-2 overall) has now taken nine of 10 from the Cougars (9-4) since 2016. Four of those contests have now been decided by 10 points or fewer.

Grant Galles had a team-high 15 points for the Gaels, with Hunter Horn adding 13, Jakob Koopman 12 and Carson Bargfrede 10. Andrew Clavey chipped in five points and seven rebounds.

“This was a really solid win for us,” SEHS head coach Adolph Kochendorfer said. “We had to dig deep to pull it off. It was great to see guys like Grant, Jakob and Carson step up and make some shots on the road when (MNW) was taking Hunter away.

“Grant has been shooting the ball much better in practice this week and had some big shots at Iowa Falls-Alden. He’s playing some really good basketball right now.”

For the Cougars, Logan Moline had a game-high 19 points, with Charlie Sturgis adding 10 and Coy Moline eight. Both Matt Condon and Kelan Koval scored six each.

“We had it down to a one-possession game late and had a chance, but we just turned the ball over,” MNW head coach Caleb Wubben said. “It was good to experience a game like this moving forward, because it showed us what we need to work on to use in February when tournament times rolls around.”

Leading by two with 29 seconds left, Bargfrede gave St. Edmond a 52-48 lead with two free throws. Koopman went 1-for-2 at the line to push the lead back to four, then Horn sank both of his after a turnover by the Cougars for a six-point Gael advantage.

Bargfrede sealed the win at the line after a Manson Northwest Webster triple cut it to 55-52 with six seconds left.

“Our defense improved as the game went on,” Kochendorfer said. “We did a better job of switching on screens and a better job on Moline and Koval.”

The Gaels close out a four-game week on the road at Webster City Friday night. The Cougars head to Emmetsburg.

ST. EDMOND 56, MANSON NW 52

St. Edmond — Andrew Clavey 5, Jakob Koopman 12, Jack McElroy 1, Grant Galles 15, Hunter Horn 13, Carson Bargfrede 10.

Manson NW — Coy Moline 8, Matt Condon 6, Broc Patzner 3, Logan Moline 19, Charlie Sturgis 10, Kelan Koval 6.

Quarter scores: Manson NW led 15-7, 32-25; St. Edmond led 40-30.