Staff photo by Steve Muscatello New Ulm’s Joey Batt takes a 3-point shot over Caitlin Rorman of Blue Earth Area during the second half Friday at NUHS. For more photos of this event go to cu.nujournal.com

NEW ULM — What kind of first half was it for the Blue Earth Area Bucs girls’ basketball team Friday night in their Big South Conference meeting with the New Ulm Eagles?

At the end of the first 18 minutes, New Ulm’s Joey Batt had scored 10 points, Hannah Osborne had added eight and Iyanna Wieland had seven points.

Blue Earth Area had scored five points.

New Ulm raced to a 26-5 lead after the first half and rolled to a 62-23 win.

Batt led the Eagles (10-4, 4-2) with a game-high 21 points.

Wieland ended her night with 15.

Lindsey Norman paced the Bucs (6-8, 2-4) with 12 points.

“We had lost to them (56-52) earlier in the season so we definitely wanted to get them back on our home court,” Eagles’ coach Brian Batt said.

And it did not take long for anyone in attendance to know that the outcome of this game would be a lot different than the first meeting.

After Norman buried a 3-pointer to tie the game at three, New Ulm went on a 13-0 run to take a commanding 16-3 lead.

Two conventional three-point plays from Batt, an Osborne 3 and two free throws from Wieland sparked a run that BEA never recovered from. After Alyssa Ripley sank a free throw, New Ulm outscored BEA 10-1 as BEA missed its final 10 3-point shots in the first half and New Ulm forced 10 turnovers.

“Our intensity was better in this game,” Batt said. “Tonight everyone came energized and ready to play. We also decided to pressure their guards more in the backcourt which helped us a lot.”

New Ulm kept up that backcourt pressure that resulted in seven more BEA turnovers in the second half.

The Eagles scored the first 13 points of the second half taking a 39-5 lead before Catlin Roman sank a 3-pointer at the 10:50 mark.

“We played well and their shots did not drop,” Batt said. “We were patient on offense because they were playing some zone but I am a defensive guy so I am more happy with the defense.”

A Wieland basket from beyond the arc began a run that put New Ulm up 49-11 and a Bute trey later had the Eagles ahead 57-20.

New Ulm ended up forcing 17 turnovers which is something that Batt says his team has to do.

“We are not big so we have to pressure other teams,” Batt said. “In the games that we have won we usually force around 20 turnovers.”