Back at the Class 1A state tournament after a one-year hiatus, Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa is showing that it belongs among the class’s elite teams.

The top-seeded Jaguars overcame a poor shooting afternoon Friday to defeat Fond du Lac Ojibwe 76-58 in the Class 1A semifinals at the Target Center.

Mr. Basketball finalist Brian Goodwin scored 25 points for Belgrade-Brooten Elrosa (30-1), which missed the state tournament last season after winning it in 2012.

“We struggled a little bit early,” Goodwin said, “but we always rely on our defense, and our defense is always there for us.”

The Jaguars never trailed Friday, and they held a double-digit lead for about half of the game. It wasn’t a blowout like their 85-50 victory over Park Christian in Thursday’s quarterfinal, but the outcome never seemed in doubt.

The No. 5-seeded Ogichidaag (24-4) were playing less than 24 hours after a triple-overtime victory over Canby in the quarterfinals. Still, they pushed an up-tempo pace that resulted in 132 field-goal attempts and 35 turnovers.

“Normally, with a pace like that and the shots we had, we should have had 100 points,” Jaguars coach Dave Montbriand said.

Goodwin, who had 35 points on 17-for-27 shooting in the victory over Park Christian, missed open shots throughout the game, and his teammates also couldn’t find a rhythm.

That won’t get the job done in Saturday’s final, Montbriand said.

“We’re going to have to play better than we did tonight — no doubt about that,” Montbriand said. “We shoot the way we did tonight, we don’t have a chance.”

Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa advanced to its third Class 1A state tournament final in four years Friday with a 76-58 victory over Fond du Lac Ojibwe at Target Center.

Mr. Basketball finalist Brian Goodwin scored 25 points for Belgrade-Brooten Elrosa (30-1), which missed the state tournament last season after winning it in 2012.

The top-seeded Jaguars took a 6-0 lead and never looked back, despite several spirited runs by No. 5-seeded Fond du Lac. The Ogichidaag were playing less than 24 hours after a triple-overtime victory over Canby in the quarterfinals.

Check back later for more on the game.