FORT DODGE — It’s never easy to beat St. Edmond inside its own gymnasium and yet ninth-ranked (Class 2A) South Hamilton made it look like a piece of cake last night.

The Hawks’ backcourt of Conner Hill and Marco Balderas combined to rain in five 3-pointers, score 35 points and distribute 13 assists in a 29-point rout of the Gaels, 74-45.

South Hamilton (8-0) dominated from the opening tip and led 18-7 after one quarter and 39-21 at the half. The margin was 28 points after three quarters, 66-38.

The nets sizzled all night on the Hawks end of the floor. They connected on their first seven shots of the second half and went 13 of 16 from the field over the final 16 minutes.

“I was very proud of the way we came out and took care of business,” South Hamilton head coach Nathan Hill said. “St. Edmond is always a tough place to play and (the Gaels) are always very physical, but I thought we were the much tougher team.”

And to think, South Hamilton did this on a night when first-team all-state wing Collin Hill was limited to 11 points, more than 15 below his season average.

Conner Hill poured in 18 points and dished out eight assists. Balderas finished with 17 points and five assists.

Logan Peters gave South Hamilton a fourth player in double digits with 10 points. Logan Klemp added six.

Nick Simpson (14) and Andrew Gibb (10) were the leading scorers for St. Edmond (4-4).