A victory is an impressive state tournament debut for any team, but Fond du Lac Ojibwe, a school with 34 students, made it three times as special for its large fan base.

Playing in front of a spirited crowd at Williams Arena, the Ogichidaag defeated Canby 85-82 in three overtimes Thursday in the Class 1A quarterfinals. They will play top-seeded Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa on Friday in the semifinals at the Target Center.

“[To] get a win down here like that, I can’t even imagine it right now,” Fond du Lac coach Earl Otis said. “The boys were yelling in that locker room, ‘We’re going to the Target Center, guys.’ ”

Ogichidaag junior Davonte Williamson played all 48 minutes and grabbed 20 rebounds, 13 of which came after halftime. He also had 23 points, five assists and eight turnovers.

The athletic forward played with four fouls throughout the overtimes. Two other Fond du Lac starters had also fouled out.

“I’m surprised I did it myself,” Williamson said. “I just had to dig deep, play clean defense.”

Williamson’s defense was more than clean — he made a potential game-saving block at the end of the first overtime and had the game-clinching steal at the end of the third overtime.

The game didn’t take its toll until the buzzer sounded.

“Everyone else sprinted to the locker room; I couldn’t run,” Williamson said. “I got in the locker room; everyone sat down but me.”

After a slow start, the No. 5-seeded Ogichidaag (24-3) dominated the end of the first half and the first 10 minutes of the second half. They played loose and in control until No. 4-seeded Canby (25-5) switched to a trapping defense and stopped settling for outside shots.

The Lancers used a 15-0 run to tie the game at 58-58 late in the second half, and the teams traded runs from then until the third overtime.

Canby’s top scorer, Michael Slaba, had 35 points, five assists and nine turnovers.

CHARLIE ARMITZ

First report

Fond du Lac Ojibwe, playing in its first-ever boys’ basketball state tournament, defeated Canby 85-82 in three overtimes Thursday in the Class 1A quarterfinals at Williams Arena.

Fond du Lac led by seven points at halftime but the Lancers stormed back to tie the game at 67-67 to force overtime.

The game went to a third extra session, where the Ogichidaag made a flurry of layups. Canby answered with a three-pointer but couldn’t close the gap further in the final minute.

Fond du Lac will face Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa in the semifinals on Friday.

Check back later for more on the game.


Photo gallery: Fond du Lac Ojibwe vs. Canby