Staff photo by Steve Muscatello Sleepy Eye’s Brittney Dittbenner drives between Abby Nelson and Maddie Pearson of Minnesota Valley Lutheran during the second half Tuesday at MVL.

NEW ULM — Minnesota Valley Lutheran continued its winning ways with a 69-41 victory over Sleepy Eye on Tuesday in a Tomhaawk Cpmference girls’ basketball game.

Abbie Riederer led MVL with 29 point and 11 rebounds. Maddie Pearson added 11 points with six assists. Emma Nelson scored 11 points and nine rebounds. Abby Nelson had 10 rebounds and two steals.

Both teams played good defense which led to going through scoring droughts periodically throughout the contest. MVL used a full-court zone press while Sleepy Eye had a half-court trap defense.

“It was a nice win for the girls,” MVL head coach Rollin Timm said. “We did a good job on defense holding them to 22 points in the first half.”

Riederer and Pearson hit back-to-back 3-pointers with 13:45 left in the game for a 50-26 Charger lead.

Riederer hit another 3-pointer. Crystal Hecht scored a basket, was fouled and she made the free throw to start a 9-0 Sleepy Eye run.

Brittney Dittbenner later scored on fast-break layup off a Charger turnover, Hesse hit a free throw and Mertz scored an inside basket to complete the run.

Riederer hit her final 3 of the night and Abby Nelson’s basket.

The contest started out when Thoms hit a 3-pointer for a 3-0 Sleepy Eye lead. Emma Nelson tied it with a basket and a free throw. Hesse scored two straight baskets to increase the Indians’ lead to 10-6. Emma Nelson scored to cut the Charger deficit to 2 points. Riederer’s two 3-point shots regained MVL’s lead of 14-10.

MVL’s press started to affect Sleepy Eye’s rhythm and the Chargers began to pull away from the Indians. Abby Nelson scored on an outside shot and Pearson canned a 3-pointer with less than 3 seconds left in the first half.

Kadence Hesse led Sleepy Eye with 14 points and seven rebounds while Breaunna Mertz had 12 points and 10 rebounds.

MVL (14-2, 9-0) will host Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop (3-11, 3-6) on Thursday. Sleepy Eye (12-4, 6-4) will host Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart on Friday.