Through 18 minutes of play, anything run-and-gun St. Paul Johnson could do, Hill-Murray had an answer for, playing to a 39-39 tie.

The dizzying display continued into the second half, where the Governors pulled away and advanced to the state tournament, looking to defend last season’s state title.

“They [the Pioneers] played to our pace most of the game,” Johnson’s Estan Tyler said. “I wasn’t surprised — there was so much energy for both teams, but we do this every day in practice and every game we play.”

It was the Pioneers (23-6) who ran circles around Johnson in the first half, taking a 27-18 lead through the game’s first 12 minutes. The Governors hung tough, however, and took their first lead of the game m 35-34, with 1:45 left in the first half on a slam dunk by senior guard Roosevelt Scott,

“They [the Pioneers] play out of a zone, so you don’t think they are going to push the ball,” Johnson coach Vernon Simmons said. “But they play transition — they really want to go.”

The Pioneers led 58-57 with 9:25 to play, but the gas tank was drained. Another steal and slam dunk by Scott  put Johnson ahead 67-60 with seven minutes to play, and the Pioneers would never draw closer than four points the rest of the way.

Tyler, a senior guard, paced the Governors with 23 points, while Scott and junior Marcus Marshall each added 19 points.

Senior forward Jim Remke had a game-high 28 points for Hill-Murray.