Staff photo by Travis Rosenau New Ulm Cathedral’s Ashlyn Hillesheim (4) draws a double team from United South Central’s Olivia Bungum (5) and Ivy O’Rourke (back) during a nonconference girls basketball game on Friday at Cathedral High School.

NEW ULM — Maddie Gilles and Shay Wilfahrt combined for 26 of the New Ulm Cathedral Greyhounds’ first-half points Monday night as they took a 30-26 halftime lead over the United South Central Rebels in a nonconference girls basketball game.

With a renewed defensive focus on Gilles and Shay Wilfahrt after halftime, however, the Rebels held Cathedral to just 9 points in the second half and rallied for a 54-39 win.

Gilles, who hit five 3s in the first half, shot just one 3-pointer in the second half and couldn’t get it to fall. She finished the game with 15 points. Shay Wilfahrt, who had 11 in the first half, was held to 3 in the second half as she finished with 14.

“I’m sure they talked about their full-court pressure and just playing defense on our scorers [at halftime],” Cathedral head coach Dave Wilfahrt said. “We just have to make sure we keep playing a team game and that everybody’s contributing the best they can and keep going from there.”

Both teams traded several leads in the first half. After a USC 3 from Ivy O’Rourke, who finished with 8 points, the Rebels took a 15-14 lead. Gilles knocked down a stepback 3 to put the Greyhounds back in front, but a bucket inside by Olivia Bungum, who finished leading the Rebels with 17 points, tied the game back up.

With the Rebels leading 24-22, Shay Wilfahrt sank a 3 for a 25-24 lead before Jayde Altermatt scored for a 27-24 Cathedral lead. USC got a pair of free throws late in the half, but Shay Wilfahrt hit another 3 in the closing minute to give her team the 30-26 halftime lead.

The second half was but controlled by USC as it capitalized on Cathedral turnovers and missed shots to open with a 14-0 run for a 40-30 lead. Shay Wilfahrt took and made her first shot of the half, a mid-range jumper, with 8:08 left to play for the Greyhounds’ first points of the half. That shot ended USC’s run and had Cathedral down 40-32.

Gilles got her first shot of the half on a rushed 3 that couldn’t find the bottom of the net with a little more than seven minutes to play.

Altermatt made a pair of baskets late in the game before Olivia Macho scored on a layup with less than two minutes to play for the Greyhounds’ final points.

“Obviously we have younger girls and we put in a couple of things here, but over break, being a Monday, it’s a little bit out of sorts and not having school and all that,” coach Wilfahrt said. “Not that that’s an excuse, we still gotta come out and play. [USC] is a decent team, they’ve got some height and they’re physical, so you’ve got to give them credit for that.”

Taylor Schroeder also had 16 points to lead USC.

The Greyhounds, now 1-8, travel to Hector for a 6 p.m. Friday game next against Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart (4-4). Coach Wilfahrt said that getting back into a routine will help his players get back up to speed and said they’ll need to be ready for a tough game Friday.

“Routine is a lot, with kids and adults,” coach Wilfahrt said. “Just getting into a good routine and getting back to school, everybody kind of needs it. We have a couple of practices here before we got to BLH … I just told the girls that they’re going to come out and play, they’re going to be tough and we just have to be ready for them.”