Staff photo by Ari Selvey Minnesota Valley Lutheran’s Blake Sexton (11) goes up for a layup while guarded by New Ulm Cathedral’s Joe Gillis (0) Friday during a nonconference boys basketball game at MVL High School.

NEW ULM — Luke Merseth’s basket-and-one with 1:52 left in the game broke a 60-60 tie as the Minnesota Valley Lutheran Chargers downed New Ulm Cathedral 65-60 Friday night in a non-conference boys basketball game.

It was the Chargers’ second straight win after three losses to open the season.

Merseth led the Chargers (2-3) with 11 points. Trace Gunderson added 10 with Eric Sorenson and Pierson Brau each ending with 9 points.

Eli Anderson led Cathedral (2-2) with a game-high 20 points. Joe Gillis netted 12 with Jake Finstad and Jack Edwards each ending with 9 points.

“We played a good first half,” Chargers head coach Craig Morgan said. “But the second half we had to scramble a little bit.”

New Ulm Cathedral head coach Alan Woitas said that that MVL played exceptionally hard in the game.

“Right away we struggled to match their energy,” he said. “We kind of did at the back half of the first half and throughout the second half. But they made some timely shots — credit our kids for finding a way to come back and getting into the game — that is one thing that they are always going to do. They are going to compete and find a chance to have a way to win.”

The Chargers, who never trailed in the game, jumped to a 16-9 lead off of a Brennan Bendix 3 before consecutive baskets from Gillis cut the lead to 16-13 with 9:43 left in the first half.

Bendix baskets off of Greyhounds turnovers saw the Chargers carrying a 27-17 lead. A Sorenson 3 gave MVL a 35-23 lead with one minute left in the first half.

The Greyhounds, who host Lester Prairie Tuesday, bit into that lead early in the second half when Anderson connected on a 3 to pull the Greyhounds to within 35-32.

Another Anderson 3 and a free throw from Edwards had Cathedral down 39-38.

A Connor Bode basket off of a Cathedral turnover made it 48-40.

A Gunderson basket gave the Chargers some breathing room at 54-43.

“We extended that lead in the second half, but Cathedral kept fighting back,” Morgan said.

An Anderson 3 and an Anderson basket again had the Greyhounds within one point at 55-54.

But a 3-pointer from the sophomore Gunderson had the Chargers up 58-54.

An Edwards basket with two minutes left in the game knotted the game a 60-60.

Morgan said that players like Gunderson stepped up their game when needed.

“They are getting opportunities — we only have 12 players — and they are not afraid to compete.” he said.” They just have to compete night after night. This is a big win — it is our fifth game going into Christmas — and we were 0-3 to start. We beat Martin County [West] and now Cathedral, so now we have to work on playing GFW tough next.”

Woitas said that his team kept cutting into the lead and tied the game.

“But we just could not get over that hump.” he said. “We missed some open shots, we need to rebound better, and those are all things that we can do. We can get better. This was one of those nights where if a few of our shots go the other way it is a different game.”