Staff photo by Travis Rosenau Springfield’s Ben Potter (4) dribbles the ball while guarded by New Ulm Cathedral’s Jake Finstad, back, and Jevan Wilfahrt (24) during a Tomahawk Conference boys basketball game on Thursday.

By Jeff Meder

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM — Springfield snapped a four-game losing streak on Thursday with a 64-53 win over New Ulm Cathedral in a boys basketball Tomahawk Conference matchup.

It was also the first win of the season and the first conference win for the Tigers.

The Tigers had four players score in double figures. Brayden Sturm had 23 points, Benjamin Potter had 14 points, MaCoy Krick added 13 points and Noah Vogel scored 11 points.

Jevan Wilfahrt led the Greyhounds with 23 points, while Jake Finstad and Elliott Hoffman had 10 points apiece

Springfield led by as many as 19 points. Vogel and Sturm each dropped in 3’s for a 44-25 lead with roughly 10 minutes left in the game. With 2:14 left, Wilfahrt scored on a reverse layup, was fouled and made the free throw. That made it 55-44.

Vogel answered for Springfield with a 3 on its next possession.

The Greyhounds closed the gap to 6 points, 44-36, on 3s by Hoffman and Wilfahrt around the seven-minute mark of the half.

The Greyhounds stepped up their defense double-teaming wherever possible. That didn’t seem to bother the Tigers because they were able to get the ball to someone and take care of it. Cathedral also tried a full-court press earlier in the second half.

It was a low-scoring first half, with Springfield leading 23-15. Cathedral built a 7-0 lead. Miles Boesch passed the ball to Wilfahrt, who hit a 3. Boesch hit two free throws and Finstad fed the ball to Wilfahrt, who scored.

Springfield answered with an inside basket by Potter before Sturm hit a 3. On the next play, Sturm stole the ball and scored on a fast-break layup to tie it at 7-7 with 11 minutes left in the first half.

Potter’s inside basket gave the Tigers their first lead of the night at 9-7. Wilfahrt fed the ball to Hoffman, who scored to tie it at 9-9. Krick’s layup with 7:35 left gave the Tigers the lead of 11-9.

Cathedral fought back to tie it again at 14-14 when Haala passed the ball to Finstad, who hit a 3. Wilfahrt made one of two free throws a short time later to give the Greyhounds their final lead of the game at 15-14. Springfield responded with 8-1 run. Vogel’s 3 started that run and that basket also regained the Tiger’s lead.

After Vogel’s basket, Buerkle hit two free throws, Sturm hit two free throws and Buerkle went coast-to-coast for a fast-break layup and a 23-15 halftime lead for the Tigers.

Springfield (1-4, 1-1) will host Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop 4-3, 1-1) on Monday. Cathedral (2-5, 1-4) will travel to Cedar Mountain (2-2, 0-0) on Monday.