Staff photo by Ari Selvey Minnesota Valley Lutheran’s Olivia Hammer (12) shoots over two Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial defenders as teammate Julia DeWitt (5) looks on during a South Central Conference girls basketball game Thursday at MVL high school.

NEW ULM — Minnesota Valley Lutheran held off a shooting barrage from Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial late in a South Central Conference girls basketball game to win 59-55 on Thursday night.

LCWM defeated MVL 77-54 on Jan. 14, and the Chargers made some changes that proved effective in the second matchup.

“I think we’re all looking back on that last game with a lot of frustration with how we came out to play them,” MVL head coach Hailey Santos said. “The girls really got ready in practice this week. This was a game they were looking forward to, they knew we had unfinished business and we really emphasized our defense. We knew that we’ve got to get stops and we’ve got to get rebounds. It turns us into effective offensive players, and I think the girls did a great job on defense. Allowing 20 points in a half is something that you’re proud of as a coach because you know you put yourself in a good position to succeed in the second half.”

MVL’s Avery Hahn said that the team worked on denying inside passes and closing out strong in practice.

“In practice we really worked on our help-side defense,” Hahn said. “Lake Crystal does a good job passing the ball down below. But we really worked hard on making sure those would go away so we wouldn’t get that pass. And we worked on closeouts too because they’re a really good shooting team. They got hot at the end, obviously, but we really tried to close out and I think we did a really good job of that.”

The win also snapped a four-game losing streak for MVL, giving the Chargers a 10-10 record, 2-4 in conference.

Avery Freier led the Chargers with 16 points, 10 rebounds and four steals, while Hahn had 12 points and 14 rebounds. Olivia Hammer added 12 points, 10 rebounds and three steals for MVL, and Ellie Kaesermann had 9 points and six rebounds.

The Chargers have seen their fair share of close games, with many contests coming down to the final minute of play. That experience has helped grow the young team as they learn to execute down the stretch.

“We’re a young team, and we’re gaining the experience in tight games,” Santos said. “Those early games especially in the season where we learned to play when we’re down by 3 or up by 3, the girls are very calm, cool and collected. They know what it’s going to take, they know situational basketball where, hey, I’ve got to foul here, we’ve got to possess the ball here. I think they’re doing a great job of rising to the occasion of tough games and tight situations.”

Hahn added that the team has improved the mental part of the game because of the late-game situations they’ve been it.

“We’ve been in kind of a slump here, been on a losing streak,” she said. “Which isn’t obviously fun, but it helps us with our mental toughness. Knowing how hard to push on offense and defense to improve our game and keep going even when we’re down just go keep the energy up. I think we we had really good energy tonight.”

MVL’s offense started slowly in the game, something the team has struggled with over the course of the season. The Chargers managed just 2 points in the first six minutes of play.

“I think just adjusting to what the other team is giving us in terms of what opens up for us on offense,” Santos said. “I think we focus too much on what they’re doing as opposed to what we can do well and what kind of openings we can find on offense. I think when the girls find their groove and they feel confidence, the ball goes through the net, they play better offense, and it just takes us a little bit more time that it should.”

Kaesermann got MVL back on track with a layup, then Hahn scored in the paint and Freier hit a 3-pointer to give the Chargers a 9-7 lead. The Chargers then scored 7 unanswered with free-throws from Natalie Matzke, a putback from Hahn and a corner 3 from Hammer to take a 16-8 lead.

MVL continued the scoring, with another 3-pointer by Hammer putting the Chargers up 28-16 for the biggest lead of the half. MVL took a 30-20 lead into halftime after a layup from Freier.

MVL saw its strongest play early in the second half, going on a 12-0 run kick-started by a transition layup from Freier to take a 42-22 lead.

The Knights began to battle back, with their shots from behind the arc dropping at a high rate. After making just three 3-pointers in the first half, LCWM made seven 3-pointers in the second half, including one by Carla Jeddeloh to spark a 14-3 run to cut the lead down to 47-41. Layups from Kaesermann and Hahn and a steal leading to a bucket by Hammer pushed the lead back out to 53-41, but LCWM scored 6 of its own to make it a 53-47 game.

Kaesermann made a layup to give MVL some breathing room, but Jeddeloh made a 3-pointer and Grace Thorson hit a layup to make it a 55-52 game. However, with time running out, Freier was sent to the line in the bonus, making both of her free throws. Jeddeloh made another 3-pointer to make it a 57-55 game, and once again Freier was sent to the line, splitting her free throws with 8.5 seconds to play. The Knights turned it over on the inbound, and Freier once more split her free throws to give MVL a 59-55 lead with just 2.4 seconds to go. The Knights missed the final heave, giving the Chargers the win.

MVL is scheduled to host St. Clair on Saturday.