Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: St. Edmond players celebrate after beating Woodbine in a Class 1A state quarterfinal on Wednesday in Des Moines. For more photos, visit CU at messengernews.net

DES MOINES — There were plenty of moments where the St. Edmond boys could have decided it was not their day.

But they didn’t.

Instead, the Gaels relied on what brought them back to the state tournament for the first time since 2012, securing a thrilling come-from-behind 52-49 victory over Woodbine here Wednesday in the Class 1A quarterfinals.

With the win, St. Edmond (23-3 overall) advances to Thursday’s final four inside Wells Fargo Arena where they will meet Madrid (26-0) at 7:5 p.m. Bellevue Marquette and Gladbrook-Reinbeck collide in the first semifinal at 5:30 p.m.

Jakob Koopman, who wasn’t even sure he would be playing after suffering an injury in the substate final vs. Bishop Garrigan, scored a game-high 18 points, including eight in the opening half as the Gaels survived a rough 16 minutes.

Carson Bargfrede added 16 points with three made 3-pointers while Hunter Horn scored nine – all in the second half – with a game-high 12 rebounds.

“We just had to find ways to step up and make plays – myself included,” said Horn, who admitted he couldn’t remember the last time he didn’t score in a half of play. “Whether it was setting screens, getting rebounds or just moving the ball; we had to come together as a team and we did, and we won because of that.”

The Gaels are back at state for the first time since placing second in 2A back in 2012. They won it all in 2000 and have three other runner-up finishes under head coach Adolph Kochendorfer, who picked up his 594th win all-time and 491st at the school.

“We just had to rely on what got us to this point and that was rebounding and making the extra pass,” Kochendorfer said. “We’ve been in a lot of tough games this year and that is a real benefit to playing the schedule we do.”

St. Edmond had 18 games this year against non-1A schools, going 15-3, with two of those losses coming to Clear Lake, who is in the 3A semifinals. The Lions were in attendance for this one, meeting the Gaels at the tunnel to pump them up before tip.

In contrast, Woodbine (23-3) had played just one game against a non-1A school, losing to Treynor earlier this year. Still, the Tigers seemed destined to win their first state tournament game after being knocked out in the quarters last year.

Brody Pryor had a team-high 13 points, Carson Kelley added 12 and Jax Pryor recorded 11. Woodbine came into the game shooting 33 percent from the 3-point line but went just 8-for-35, including 3 of 17 in the second half.

Bargfrede, making his second start of the season in place of Koopman, sank a triple early to give St. Edmond a 5-3 lead after a bucket by Grant Galles got the scoring starter. He had nine in the first half, adding a second triple later before the break.

“I was really nervous coming in,” said Bargfrede, who’s father, Cory, was a member of the 2000 state title team. “With the environment and all the fans, it was definitely nerve-wrecking, but when that first shot went down, it calmed me down.”

The Gaels would make the first push in the second half after battling to a 22-22 draw at the break, as Horn buried a 3-pointer. Woodbine, though, had an answer, putting together a 15-2 run to go up by nine.

Horn started a 6-2 closing burst to the quarter that included baskets by Koopman and Galles that seemed to re-ignite St. Edmond. The Gaels would go 5 of 10 from the field in the fourth, making three triples while hitting all five shots from the charity stripe, including two late by Bargfrede and Jack McElroy that helped seal the win.

After finally securing a loose ball following multiple shots by Woodbine to tie it, Horn let out a huge scream directed at the packed bleachers full of St. Edmond fans.

“Yeah, just had to let out some energy,” he said. “It feels great moving on but we have two more games left.”

ST. EDMOND 52, WOODBINE 49

St. Edmond – Andrew Clavey 0-1 0-0 0, Jack McElroy 0-1 2-2 2, Grant Galles 2-8 0-0 4, Hunter Horn 3-8 2-2 9, Carson Bargfrede 5-14 3-4 16, Jakob Koopman 8-11 1-1 18, Ty Mericle 1-3 0-0 3. Totals: 19-46 8-9 52.

Woodbine – Carter Gruver 3-16 1-1 7, Carson Kelley 4-15 0-0 12, Brody Pryor 4-10 2-5 13, Landon Blum 3-7 0-1 6, Jax Pryor 4-7 2-6 11, Gunner Wagner 0-0 0-0 0, Xander Johnson 0-1 0-0 0, Cody Dickinson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 18-56 5-13 49.

Quarter scores: Woodbine led 19-15; Tied 22-22; Woodbine led 39-34. Three-point goals: St. Edmond 6-24 (McElroy 0-1, Galles 0-5, Horn 1-3, Bargfrede 3-11, Koopman 1-1, Mericle 1-3), Woodbine 8-35 (Gruver 0-11, Kelley 4-15, B. Pryor 3-7, Blum 0-1, J. Pryor 1-1). Total rebounds: St. Edmond 33, Woodbine 33. Assists: St. Edmond 8, Woodbine 11. Blocked shots: St. Edmond 1, Woodbine 4. Steals: St. Edmond 1, Woodbine 5. Turnovers: St. Edmond 8, Woodbine 6. Team fouls: St. Edmond 13, Woodbine 15.