NEW ULM — Morgan Hulk scored 30 points, including seven threes in the first half, to help the New Ulm Eagles defeat Jordan 83-79 in a nonconference girls basketball game Tuesday.
Huelke finished the night with career highs in both points (35) and 3-pointers made (8), and made two free throws in the final minute to seal the victory.
“I felt really good because the previous game was a little painful.” Hulk said. “So I was happy to finally see them play. My teammates knew I was playing and they knew I had a hot hand, so I was happy to see them play. They looked for me. I couldn’t have done it without my teammates.”
Hulk was one of five Eagles to score in double figures that night. For the Eagles, Ramsey Hopp had 13 points and five rebounds, Daviny Dreckman had 12 points and six rebounds, Maddie Bakker had 10 points and eight rebounds, and Betsy Joyce had 10 points.
But it was Hulk who arguably brought the Eagles such success offensively.
“She was just getting carried away.” Ulm’s new head coach, Julie Rogers, said: “A couple of times when she hit threes, she was a foot or two behind the line. Her range has really expanded this year. I think she’s gotten some attention and has developed some confidence. It’s nice to see her there, but we need to make sure she can continue to shoot it from the outside.
“One of the things we did tonight was bring her to a high level. Sometimes we start her a little lower, but in the JV game, that 1-3 We saw the JV guys shooting high against -1, so we said, “Okay, let’s start her there and let her get those.” . He looked good at the beginning of the game. ”And she got it and was successful. ”
Jordan started the game with an aggressive half-court trap defense, which New Ulm initially struggled to break through, falling behind 12-3 to start the game.
However, the Eagles’ practice the previous day paid off, as they steadied the ship and began attacking the weaker areas of the defense.
“We spent all of practice yesterday making sure the JV played against us.” Rogers said. “We knew they were going to launch an attack against us, so we racked our brains and said, ‘Okay, what’s the best form of attack with the personnel that we have?’ So we decided to put two low posts and one high post and keep them crossing each other. ”
Rodgers said the team worked hard in practice to counter Jordan’s defense, and that preparation paid off in a big way.
“We knew we had to be a good passing team to overcome the 1-3-1 trap, so we worked on passing quite a bit as well.” Rogers said. “Jordan did a great job. Morgan got hot in the first half and we hit some shots and then we attacked it and sometimes hit her on reverses. I made it.”
“The girls performed exactly how they practiced yesterday, so I’m really happy to see the hard work from yesterday’s practice come out tonight and see them succeed.”
Hulke’s first 3-pointer started the Eagles’ offense, and while the Eagles were leading 13-0, Hopp’s 3-pointer made the lead 38-35. The run ended when the Hulks beat the halftime buzzer with a 3 to put New Ulm ahead 43-35.
But Jordan wasn’t going to get away easily, and the Jaguars cut the lead to 79-76 with 54 seconds left. The Eagles were in the double bonus, and Hulk, Joyce and Dreckman made a combined 4-of-6 free throws in the double bonus, clinching the game in the final minute.
Halke said the team did a good job of controlling the close game by being patient and finding the best shot.
“I think we just handled the pressure, and I think we did that really well.” she said. “We waited for the shot, swung around and found an open girl.”
New Ulm improved to 6-2 overall and will travel to St. James District on Thursday, January 4th.