When the New Ulm High School boys’ basketball team saw a double-digit halftime lead shrink away against Sibley East Friday night, it was deja vu for the Eagles.

“The same thing happened to us in the game with Fairmont,” New Ulm coach Matt Hauge said. “We stopped attacking.”

Unlike the game with the Cardinals where a 13-point halftime lead resulted in a 44-41 loss, the Eagles were able to recover from seeing an 18-point lead at the break shrink to a tie game before rebounding for a 69-57 win and their second straight victory in a row after knocking off St. James in overtime 24 hours earlier.

“We did not attack in the second half,” Hauge said. “They [Sibley East] were looking to trap a little more than they did in the first half. And I think that we got a little tired playing two nights in a row.”

While the Eagles have not been on the positive side of a lot of games this season, Hauge said that the two straight wins have been a positive step forward.

“It was only St. James’ third loss of the season and they had beaten us [68-45] earlier in the year,” Hauge said. “They are one of the top teams in the Big South Conference. And Sibley East has a nice physical team.”

Hauge said that as the year has progressed he has seen improvement.

“We are communicating as a team and playing as a team,” he said. “We are getting a few more guys scoring. We are scoring a few more points offensively — we have been in the 60-point range. We have good shooters. They just have to shoot the ball when they are open.”

The Eagles now look at possibly extending their winning streak to three straight games when they host Blue Earth Area Monday night in a Big South Conference game.

“We lost to them [61-57] earlier in the year and I think that we have a very good chance to win,” he said. “They are a very beatable team — we played them tough there — and we had the lead for most of the game. It would be nice to get three wins in a row.”

NEW ULM/SLEEP EYE PEEWEE “B” GET SURPRISE: When the New Ulm/Sleepy Eye PeeWee “B” hockey team left to play at Marshall Thursday night, it appeared to be a routine, run-of-the-mill game,

But what happened is something that coaches, players and fans from both teams will never forget.

What that routine game turned out to be for the 6th and 7th grade players was a “Minnesota Wild” spotlight game sponsored by the Minnesota Wild.

The Spotlight Game was a secret known only by few, which was requested by the Wild.

New Ulm/Sleepy Eye coach Scott Hillesheim said before the game, the team went out to eat.

“Then we were bused to the arena by police cars and fire trucks,” he said. “We told them it was our last district game and we were doing something special.”

Hillesheim said the players still had no idea what was going on.

“When the players got to the rink they still did not know,” Hillesheim said. “When they got to the locker room it was all set up like a professional hockey locker room with all of their equipment set out. The Wild made each player a jersey with their last name on their back to wear for the game.”

In addition to their jersey, each player received a Wild duffel bag, water bottle and a puck.

John deCausmeaker, who sings the National Anthem at all Wild home games, sang before the game.

Former Wild defenseman Keith Ballard was a coach for New Ulm/Sleepy Eye.

“All of the players were introduced just like they would be in a pro game,” Hillesheim said. ” All of the kids eyes got big.

“I know that I will never forget this and I am sure all of the kids from both teams will remember it too,” he said.

HILLESHEIM TO SURPASS 1,000 CAREER POINTS: When New Ulm Cathedral’s Alex Hillesheim scores his 15th point this week, he will become the 41st player in New Ulm to break the 1,000-point barrier. He will also be the 12th Cathedral player to do so. There are two players who scored 1,000 career points when the school was called “Holy Trinity.”