NEW RICHLAND &045; A strong second quarter sparked the New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva boys’ basketball team to a 64-42 nonconference victory over Hayfield at New Richland Saturday.

Trailing 18-13 at the end of the first period, the Panthers went on a 20-2 run in the second to take a 33-20 halftime lead. It was 47-31 after three quarters.

&uot;We had a nice second-quarter run keyed by our defense,&uot; said Panthers coach Matt Eppen. &uot;That was the difference in the ballgame. We also did a better job of controlling the ball in the second half.&uot;

Jacey Reese’s 16 points led three Panther scorers in double figures. He also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds, had three assists and two steals. Zak Tracy totaled 15 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals, Bjorn Peterson 15 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals, Tim Tappe 12 points and six rebounds.

The Panthers were 23-for-44 from the field and 17-for-25 at the free-throw line, compared to 18-for-51 and 3-for-8 for the Vikings. NRHEG had 17 turnovers, two less than Hayfield, and the Panthers outrebounded the Vikings 31-30.

The Panthers play at Byron tonight.