It was chaotic, all 36 minutes.

Players from both St. Paul Johnson and Hermantown were sprawled out on the court, from one end to another. It nearly proved costly for the No. 2-ranked Governors.

St. Paul Johnson’s athleticism and quickness on the defensive end bailed it out in the final minute of a 59-56 victory over a pesky Hermantown squad in the Class 3A quarterfinals Wednesday at Williams Arena. The Governors (26-3) will face the winner of Orono (24-5) and Waconia (16-13) in the semifinals Thursday at Target Center at 2 p.m.

“We were really lucky,” Governors senior guard Jalen Mobley said. “You should never win a game when you shoot 29 percent (20-for-70).”

Hermantown junior guard Thomas Madison’s fade-away three-point try to tie the game at the buzzer rimmed out. Madison had a game-high 20 points.

Hermantown (24-6), which shot 34 percent from the floor, didn’t score on its final four possessions. It turned the ball over twice and missed a tough two-point shot. The Hawks had 30 turnovers.

“The only thing we did right was play defense,” Governors coach Vernon Simmons said.

Mobley made two free throws with 11.6 secondsleft, giving the Governors a three-point lead. He scored 12 of his 16 points in the second half.

“I was confident (shooting free throws),” Mobley said. He also grabbed 11 rebounds and had four steals, one of each coming in the final minute. “I didn’t play like I should’ve today.”

For that matter, neither did his teammates.

“That wasn’t Johnson basketball,” Mobley said. “A game like that shouldn’t have happened.”