Playing before a full house of approximately 1,000 fans, with all but a dozen supporting local favorite Hoggard (NC), #2 Mount St. Joseph bounced back from its first loss of the season, Sunday at St. Frances, to claim a tough, 47-43, victory, Thursday afternoon in the opening round of the Leon Brogden Holiday Classic, in Wilmington, NC.

The Gaels (6-1) road a 22 point effort from 6-11 senior center Henry Sims to the win, which required some late-game poise, as Hoggard rallied in the second half.

St. Joe started fast, outscoring Hoggard, 17-9, in the opening quarter and held a 30-24 lead at the halftime break. Hoggard, however, battled back throughout the third quarter and eventually took its only lead of the game, on a Logan Cain layup, with 7:12 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The Vikings followed that possession with a defensive stop and appeared on the verge of taking control of the contest. But, Sims pulled down a huge defensive rebound and then tipped in a rebound on the opposite end to put the Gaels back on top, 37-36, with 5:10 remaining.

St. Joe never trailed again.

Excellent clock management, strong free throw shooting and strong defense helped the Gaels stretch the margin to as much as six, before it closed out a four-point victory.

Sims was the only St. Joe player in double figures, while Erick Atkins finished with eight. Cain scored 11 for Hoggard, while Griffin Leuck led the Vikings with 13.

St. Joe now moves on to the semifinal round, where it will face New Hanover (NC), another local squad.

Mount St. Joseph 47, Hoggard (NC) 43
MSJ 17 13 5 12 47
H 9 15 10 9 43

Mount St. Joseph: Sims 22, Atkins 8, McCoy 2, Hill 2, Olsen 6, Jones 2, Miler 3, Stepehenson 2.
Hoggard: Smith 2, Allen 11, Jeremias 2, Leuck 13 Cain 11 Busby 4.
Half: Mount St. Joseph, 30-24.