Hopp lifts Eagles by Tigers
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NEW ULM -- Ramsey Hopp's basket propelled New Ulm to a 58-56 win over Belle Plaine on Monday in nonconference girls' basketball action.
Brooklyn Lewis passed the ball to Hopp, who slipped in behind the Tiger defense and scored on a layup with 2.7 seconds left. Hopp scored 7 points for the Eagles, but those last 2 points were the most memorable of the game.
Earlier in the second half, Belle Plaine's Josie Schmidt scored on a layup. Schmidt slipped behind the Eagle defense and easily scored, which made it 52-46 for the Tigers.
Bryn Nesvold made the front end of a 1-and-1 free throw. Schmidt answered for the Tigers with a second-chance basket to make the score 54-47 in favor of Belle Plaine.
Kirsten Dennis scored, Lewis canned a 3 and Mackenzie Enter scored on a give-and-go layup to tie it up at 54-54.
McKenna Ziemke scored an inside basket, which regained the lead for the Tigers at 56-54 with 1:10 left. That would be the final lead for Belle Plaine. Lewis's steal and layup on the next play tied it at 56-56 with less than one minute remaining in the contest.
New Ulm led early in the second half, but the Tigers charged back and they took the lead on a basket by Kenzie Nordby at 44-43. The lead expanded until the Eagles responded with their rally and end-of-game heroics.
In the first half, the Eagles jumped out to an early 10-4 advantage, but the Tigers fought their way back. Ziemke's 3 tied it at 18-18 with 6:15 left in the half. Belle Plaine tied it three more times after that.
Daviney Dreckman took an outlet pass from the corner and she scored from the top of the key at the buzzer. That basket gave New Ulm a slim 32-30 lead at halftime.
"We had a lot of turnovers," New Ulm head coach Julie Rogers said. "We handled the last 1:30 very well, and we used our quickness against their height."
Lewis led the Eagles with 15 points and four steals. Dreckman had 10 points and 18 rebounds. Morgan Hulke and Madeline Backer each scored 7 points.
Ziemke led the Tigers with 16 points, while Schmidt and Rachel Johnson each scored 10 points apiece. Leah Lenz had 8 points.
New Ulm (12-10, 4-6) will host Springfield on Thursday.