Springfield’s first half didn’t go the way the players wanted it to.

As a team, No. 5 Springfield had only made 37.5 percent of its shots and one of eight three-point attempts. But the team, trailing Nevis 31-22 at halftime, didn’t panic, as coach Lance Larson said players began to emphasize shot defense.

Fifth-seeded Springfield responded with a big second half, applying pressure that contributed to No. 4 seed Nevis, which shot 52 percent in the first half, slumping to 33 percent after the intermission. The result was a 73-65 Springfield victory in the Class 1A quarterfinals Thursday at Williams Arena.

“The whole game, we didn’t shoot well. We had to fight through that,” Springfield guard Isaac Fink said. “The first half we were slowing it down with their pace. We had to dictate the pace in the second half.”

Springfield (29-2) opened the second half on a 10-0 run to take the lead. Nevis (28-2) came back to take a one-point lead, but Springfield pulled ahead shortly after, leading by as much as 14 late in the half.

Senior Kale Meendering led Springfield with 22 points. Teammate Isaac Fink, a sophomore, had 20 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. For Nevis, sophomore Michael Landquist finished with 24 points and his brother, Jack Landquist, a junior, had 13 points.

“They were really trying to slow us down,” Larson said. “We defended a bit better and guys ran the floor a bit better.”

This was Springfield’s first state tournament game since it won the Class 2A championship 2011.

MIKE HENDRICKSON

Down nine points at halftime, No. 5 Springfield responded with a big second half to defeat No. 4 Nevis 73-65 in the Class 1A quarterfinals Thursday at Williams Arena.

Trailing 31-22 af halftime, Springfield (29-2) opened the second half on a 10-0 run to take the lead. Nevis (28-2).came back to take a one-point lead, but Springfield pulled ahead shortly after, stretching the margin to as many as 14 points late in the half.

Kale Meendering led Springfield with 22 points while his teammate Isaac Fink had 20 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. For Nevis, Michael Landquist finished with 24 points and Jack Landquist had 13.

This was Springfield’s first victory in the state tournament since 2011.

Check back later for more on the game.