Photo by Samantha Davis Springfield’s Bryan Buerkle drives to the hoop during a road boys basketball game against Tracy-Milroy-Balaton in Tracy on Friday night.

By Samantha Davis

sports@nujournal.com

TRACY — In a game of 3-pointers and lead changes that came down to the final seconds, the No. 8 Springfield boys basketball team prevailed for a 66-63 win over Tracy-Milroy-Balaton Friday night in Tracy, snapping the Panthers’ nine-game win streak. The night saw 19 3s, 10 from the Tigers and nine from TMB.

TMB and the Tigers went back and forth throughout the entire game trading baskets, with both teams holding a 10-point lead at one point. Springfield had a 5-point lead at halftime.

“They [Springfield] got off to a good lead, and we battled back in the first half, and then we had the lead in the second half, and they battled back,” TMB head coach Ryan Kruse said. “They just made the plays down the stretch that we didn’t quite make. It was a perfect game, I think, for us to go into the playoffs with.”

Brecken Heiling led the Tigers with a game-high 22 points and went 4 of 7 from the perimeter. Bryan Buerkle followed with another 20 points to his team-high 14 rebounds and three steals, while Parker Kuehn tallied 12 points.

Both teams went scoreless for a few minutes midway through the second half until Noah Knakmuhs got the hot-hand himself for two consecutive 3-pointers from opposite ends of the wing to put the Panthers up 56-47 with about eight minutes to go.

Springfield limited Trevor Smith in his second half looks, but Knakmuhs continued to take matters into his own hands as he hit another 3 to give TMB a 10-point lead at 59-49 with five minutes remaining.

Heiling brought the Tigers back within 4 points, 59-55, after continuing the game’s trend with another 3-pointer.

Heiling continued to show up big for Springfield with another 3 to tie the score up at 59 with less than three minutes left.

With 45 seconds of game to go with a tied score at 61, Springfield’s Buerkle worked the lane and spun around the defense to find the basket to put the Tigers up by 2 points.

Smith responded with a layup of his own to again tie the game at 63.

With the clock running down and the ball in Springfield’s possession, Buerkle drove the lane and got fouled for the and-1 with the free throw to put the Tigers ahead 66-63 with six seconds to go.

Springfield forced a last second turnover and tipped the ball out of bounds as TMB was dribbling the ball up the court for the final possession, which put the clock down to one second and ultimately finished the game.

Overall, TMB shot 40% from the field to Springfield’s 44% shooting mark.

Neither team could break out on a large lead throughout the first half. Although Springfield shot aggressively from the 3-point line from the start, TMB was able to find several good looks inside to pair with Smith’s first-half outside shooting before getting more efficient at the arc in the second half.

Smith led TMB with 19 first-half points with three makes at the arc, while Springfield’s Buerkle had 13 and Kuehn followed with 10.

Springfield had a 39-34 lead coming out of halftime, showcasing the game would come down to the final moments.

TMB took its first lead shortly into the second half with back-to-back 3-pointers from Alex Munson and Griffin Zick, 44-42, bringing excitement into the packed Panthers’ gym.

Zick nailed another 3, finishing with 6 points, while Heiling for Springfield ended the Panthers’ run with a 3-pointer.

TMB struggled with a few putback attempts, however maintained a strong rebounding effort to limit the Tigers’ chances where it could.

The Panthers outrebounded Springfield 38-29, 26 of which were defensive.

To start the night off, Smith had TMB’s first 7 points behind a pair of field goals and a 3-pointer.

With a 9-9 tie to start the game, Springfield’s Kuehn hit back-to-back 3-pointers to put the Tigers up 18-11 early.

TMB committed a string of turnovers, which allowed the Tigers to build a double-digit advantage, however Aidan Swenhaugen ended the Panthers’ scoring drought with a feed inside from Munson.

Smith began to heat up to catch TMB back up with a 3 and two consecutive midrange jumpers to bring the Panthers’ to a 27-20 deficit.

Springfield’s Dylan Simonson drilled a 3 of his own, answered by another Smith 3-pointer.

Both teams were put in bonus for the final few minutes of the first half, each making a few trips to the line.

With seconds winding down in the first, Smith brought TMB within 2 with a 36-34 deficit, yet the Tigers’ Buerkle sank a 3-pointer from the top of the key at the buzzer to give Springfield a 39-34 halftime lead.

The ranked Tigers now enter the postseason with just two losses to its name, coming from the hands of No. 9 Cedar Mountain on Dec. 16, 66-60, and a recent fall to Central Minnesota Christian on Feb. 7, 80-73.

Springfield (24-2) will soon await seeding for the Section 2A Tournament, to be announced in the coming days. The 13 to 20 seeds will first play in a play-in round on Feb. 28, while the second round will begin on March 4 at the higher seed’s home court.

Last year, Springfield was awarded the second-seed, and made a run to the semifinals before being eliminated by No. 1 Mountain Lake Area/Comfrey, 82-74, who went on to become section champions.