Their lead trimmed to five points in the second half, Braham’s players never panicked.

The confident Bombers thwarted the Eagles by winning little battles more often. They bunched up clutch shots and defensive stops better than  Maple River to win 67-58.

“For sure there was a sense of urgency, but at no point did I think we were about to lose,” said Braham senior forward John Larson, who finished with 19 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. “Every time they got close, we’d come down and get a layup to even the momentum up.”

Braham senior guard Chris Olson led all scorers with 23 points. Teammate Ryan Larson made key plays and scored seven points as the Bombers (29-2) closed the first half on a 13-4 run.

Such a run proved too much for Maple River (27-4) to counter.

“We really thought once we closed the gap that we could keep it going and get up on them,” Eagles’ senior guard Brandon Sohre said. “But we would turn the ball over and get frustrated and allow easy buckets on defense.”

No. 4 seed Braham (29-2) held off No. 5 seed Maple River, Mapleton (27-4) in a 67-58 victory in the Class 2A boys’ basketball state tournament quarterfinals Wednesday at Target Center.

The Bombers advance to the semifinals and play No. 1 seed St. Croix Lutheran at 6 p.m. Friday at Target Center.

Braham’s Chris Olson led all scorers with 23 points.

Maple River, Mapleton cut the Braham lead to 51-46 in the second half but could not bunch up baskets and defensive stops required to get closer.

Braham led 38-29 at halftime. The Bombers’ Chris Olson led all scorers with 14 points. The teams were tied 25-25 during the first half before Braham closed the half on a 13-4 run.