By Jeff Meder

sports@nujournal.com

NEW ULM — Sleepy Eye defeated New Ulm Cathedral 50-41 on Friday in a Tomahawk-Valley Conference, Tomahawk Division girls basketball game.

Both teams played less-than-perfect basketball, but the Greyhounds would not quit despite only scoring 10 points in the first half. The Indians scored 21 in the opening half.

Turnovers and missed shots resulted in the low score.

Sleepy Eye used a full-court press off and on during the entire contest. Cathedral used the press late in the game which helped make it an interesting game near the end of it.

Sleepy Eye got off to a fast start early in the first half. Its aggressive defense helped fuel the offense to score points. That defense included double teaming Cathedral at every chance it had. Sleepy Eye’s biggest lead was 14 points when Cadence Okerman hit two free throws late in the first half. That made it 21-7 Sleepy Eye.

Sleepy Eye built a 20-point advantage early in the second half when Jace Schauman scored on a fast-break layup to make it 35-15 Sleepy Eye.

The Indians switched to a half-court defense early in the second half. Later, both teams went with their full-court press, hoping to gain the upper hand.

Maddie Gilles nailed a 3 with 3:55 left in the game. That shot brought Cathedral within 10 points at 42-32 Sleepy Eye. With 3:00 left, Ashlyn Hillesheim scored which made it 42-35.

The Greyhounds made critical errors and inopportune times as the game was winding down.

Paige Haala took possession of the ball on an inbounds pass, broke to the basket, scored and was fouled with 1:11 to go. She hit the free throw to complete the three-point play and Sleepy led 47-36.

Hillesheim dropped in two free throws for Cathedral which made it 47-38. Shay Wilfahrt canned a 3 with 30 seconds left which brought Cathedral to within 6 points at 47-41. Cathedral was forced to foul after that, and Sleepy Eye’s Callie Evers made three out of six free throws late to put the game away.

“A win is a win, we’ll take it,” Sleepy Eye head coach Grant Romberg said.

Haala scored 19 points and had nine rebounds and two assists to lead Sleepy Eye. Berkner added 10 points and four rebounds while Okerman had 6 points, 11 rebounds, six steals and four assists.

Shay Wilfahrt led all scorers with 20 points. Hillesheim added 11 points and Gilles scored 6 points.

“They made their free throws and they made their shots,” Cathedral head coach Dave Wilfahrt said of Sleepy Eye. He added that he was pleased to see his team hang in there and come back the way they did.

Sleepy Eye (20-7, 7-3) will host Lester Prairie on Tuesday. Cathedral (2-12, 2-8) will host Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s (13-0, 9-0) on Tuesday.