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Hutchinson upsets New Ulm

By Jim Bastian

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM — The Hutchinson Tigers scored the last nine points of the game to erase a 49-42 New Ulm lead and went on to upset New Ulm 51-49 in Section 2AAA play.

Morgan Ellis led Hutchinson (13-14) with 18 points including two free throws with eight seconds left to give the fifth-seeded Tigers the eventual win.

Joey Batt led the Eagles, who finish their season at 20-6, with 17 points. Iyanna Wieland added 11 and Olivia Wick contributed six.

“I knew this game would be tough,” New Ulm coach Brian Batt said. “We needed to take better care down the stretch. We did not do it and it came back to bite us.”

New Ulm started out slow in the game but was able to establish a 26-17 halftime lead and having to use a 21-9 run to end the first 18 minutes as the Tigers double-teamed Joey Batt. Batt did not score her first points until there were eight minutes left in the first half.

“They ran all kinds of people at us,” he said. “They made us work to get touches. And we did not hit some shots early-on.”

A 12-7 run to begin the second half moved the Eagles into a seemingly comfortable 38-24 lead with just under 11 minutes to play.

Back-to-back 3-pointers from the Tigers’ Michaela Stamper saw Hutchinson again cut into the lead, cutting it to 38-33.

New Ulm rebuilt that lead to 45-37 on baskets from Hannah Osborne, Iyanna Wieland and Olivia Wick with 2:36 left in the game.

New Ulm held a 49-42 lead with 45 seconds left in the game on a Batt conventional three-point basket.

And for the third time in the game, Hutchinson came back to turn a 7-point deficit into a 2-point lead with eight seconds left.

“We did not hit enough shots down the stretch when we needed it and we got a little lose with the ball,” coach Batt said. “We just did not take care of the ball. I was a little surprised by that. I thought that we would have more composure than that but we didn’t.”

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