Hayfield shot 66 percent from field

The New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva Panthers boys’ basketball team couldn’t overcome a hot shooting night from the Hayfield Vikings and lost 72-58 in the first round of the Section 2AA South tournament in Hayfield.

The Vikings’ Bobbie Stephens made 5 of 6 3-pointers despite being guarded closely Hunter Eustice.

The Vikings made a buzzer-beating two-pointer before halftime to lead 31-24 at the break and led the entire second half.

The Vikings shot 20 of 30 from the field and 25 of 36 from the free-throw line. The Panthers also shot well at a 44 percent clip.

Matt Carlson led the Panthers with 16 points and Eustice chipped in 10 points and four assists. The Panthers’ Sam Lundberg scored 11 points and Evan Ferber had eight points and five rebounds.

The Vikings had a 21-10 rebounding advantage and both teams took care of the ball. The Panthers had six turnovers while the Vikings had just eight.

After starting the season 2-10, the Panthers won 11 of their final 14 games to finish 13-13.

“From where they came from to where they ended up, I was really proud of them,” Panthers coach Pat Churchill said. “I’m very happy with how hard they worked and that they stuck together.”