Neither team was able to put up any offensive fireworks, but the Hayfield girls basketball team made enough plays to grind out a 45-37 win over Lyle-Pacelli in a battle between two of the better girls basketball teams in Southeast Minnesota in Pacelli Gym Saturday night.

Hayfield (19-4 overall) scored the first eight points of the game and it led the rest of way, but LP (18-5 overall) was able to pull as close as 28-24 after a put-back by Kristi Fett with 11:14 left in the game. The Vikings responded with a quick 7-0 spurt when Maggie Streightiff hit a pair of jumper and a three-pointer to go up 35-24.

Streightiff had 19 points and 10 rebounds and she also helped hold the 6-5 Fett to eight points and 11 rebounds.

“They definitely pushed us. We knew it was going to be a tough game. I just tried to work [against Fett] as hard as I could and I knew I had help on the backside with Kate [Kruger],” Streightiff said. “We knew we had to take it to the hoop because our shooting wasn’t hot tonight. We just had to be aggressive.”

The Vikings have hit double digit three-pointers in multiple games this season, but they had just four three-pointers in Saturday’s win. The team, which also had 17 turnovers, was able to find other ways to score.

“It’s better to win ugly, then lose pretty,” Streightiff said. “Both teams kind of uglied it up and played good defense. Neither team shot well. We shot 23 percent on three-pointers and we don’t do that very often, but it was good to be able to win on a night like that.”

Defensively, Hayfield used the trio of Emily Sprau, Sophia Waldner, and Elecia Brown to focus on keeping LP’s Brooke Walter from doing any damage as they ran a diamond and one. Walter had two points, four assists and three steals.

“They took Brooke away and that’s what Maranatha did too,” LP head coach Justin Morris said. “We got open looks and kids had wide open shots. We didn’t put the ball in the hole and I don’t know what the reason is. It’s perplexing to me. We make shots in practice and in our conference games. Hayfield played good defense and give Kasey a ton of credit for his defense, but we still had good shots.”

Hayfield junior Kate Kruger gave the team a boost by racking up five points, 10 rebounds and six assists.

“I love looking up the court and trying to get that long pass that nobodies’ expecting. That throws the defense off,” Kruger said. “Playing in a gym this crowded was great. It was so loud and it made it so fun.”

Krekling said that Kruger certainly provides a big lift for Hayfield.

“Kate does everything. She brings the ball out of bounds because she’s our best passer, she brings the ball up the floor, she posts up for us and she can go out the corner,” he said. “She boxed out tremendously well tonight.”

Hayfield 23  22  —  45

LP 15  22  —  37

Hayfield scoring: Maggie Streightiff, 19; Carrie Rutledge, 11; Olivia Matti, 7; Kate Kruger, 5; Emily Sprau, 2; Sophia Waldner, 1; free throws: 50 percent (2-for-4); rebounds: 39 (Kruger, 10; Streightiff, 10); turnovers: 17

LP scoring: Caitlin Roberts, 8; Kristi Fett, 8; Bethany Strouf, 7; Abby Bollingberg, 7; Olivia Christianson, 4; Brooke Walter, 2; Kendal Truckenmiller, 1; free throws: 50 percent (1-for-2); rebounds: 28 (Fett, 11); turnovers: 7