NEW ULM 58, WASECA 54
#17AAA New Ulm knocked #8AAA Waseca off their unbeaten
perch in the Big South East Conference race and further complicated the post season scenarios for section 2AAA with a 58-54 overtime thriller on Thursday evening. The Eagles got revenge for a two point loss earlier in Waseca, who happens to be the defending section 2AAA champs. You may say that New Ulm “Battered” the Blue Jays with Joey Batt scoring 27 points in the win. The drama in the game came in the form of a pair of comebacks for Waseca. Twice the Blue Jays rallied from deficits in each half. Waseca sent the game to overtime on a three from the right side by Brianna Highum with four seconds left in regulation.
This contest was built on runs. It seemed the pendulum swung back and forth most of the night. New Ulm got the first jump with an 18-6 run over the course of eight and a half minutes of the first half (22-12). After a triple by Gus Boyer the Blue Jays capped a 15-4 run in four minutes. The host Eagles responded with junior guard Batt driving in for a lay up to regain the lead. Waseca coughed up the ball immediately thereafter on a Hannah Osborne steal & lay up. That is the way the half ended with NU up 30-27. The runs didn’t stop there. NU started the second half on a 10-4 splurge (or 14-4 across two halves) for their widest mark in the second half 40-31 with eleven minutes remaining. Waseca had a 7-1 burst forcing a NU time out with 7:49 left (41-38 NU). The momentum shifted back to the Eagles with a 6-0 surge (47-38) and another test of the widest second half margin. This time it was Waseca seeking the time out. The momentum jumped back to Waseca with a 10-2 run and forcing another NU time out with 1:17 left and clinging to a 49-48 lead. Waseca had to foul four times before NU got to bonus land. Batt was the recipient and she converted both free throws to extend the lead to 51-48 with 33 seconds to go. Both sides traded empty possessions before Highum’s heroics. A last second lay up attempt, which the NU faithful believed was impacted with physical play, missed and we were off for another four minutes of action. A lay up by Taylor Hiller off the jump gave Waseca their only lead in overtime (53-51). Iyanna Wieland answered with a three from the left side to return the lead, as it would turn out, for good to NU on the very next possession (54-53). With 23.9 seconds left Batt added two free throws for a three point Eagle lead (57-54). Waseca tried to set up a three point shot and took two time outs at the seven second mark to get one off. The result was a mishandled ball. Batt added one more free throw for the insurance point.
The key difference between the two teams? Waseca had 20 turnovers (or one every 16.3 touches) to 13 (or one every 31.9 touches) for NU.
This was my first time in the new two year old New Ulm high school. As with all new schools the entrance is a signature feature of the school.
To testify how important this contest was—-Hutchinson was in the house scouting.
New Ulm moves to 15-5 overall and is an even 2-2 in the section, 6-3 in the Big South. Waseca drops to 18-3 overall, is an even 3-3 in the section and is 8-1 in the Big South.
I have now charted 57% of the AAA teams; and have 85 of the top 100 teams in the state evaluated. There are 20 days left of the regular season before elimination games really kick in with the post season. It looks dicey for the 100 at this point.
| Team | PP100 | scorer | Distributor | D stops |
| New Ulm | 93.5 | Joey Batt 27 | Two with 7 | Iyanna Wieland 14 |
| Waseca | 84.4 | Brianna Highum 15 | Taylor Hiller 10 | Brianna Highum 9 |
TRENCH PLAYER: Joey Batt, as she did this past summer, rose to the occasion