Cass Lake-Bena guard Jared Brown (10) shoots as Rushford-Peterson guard Luke OHare (35) and forward Jacob Paulson (13) defend in the first half. Photo: LEILA NAVIDI • leila.navidi@startribune.com
Cass Lake-Bena coaches and players vowed all season that close games would not be their undoing.
They never wavered Thursday in the Class 1A quarterfinal game against Rushford-Peterson, even after buzzer-beating shots by the Trojans forced two overtime sessions.
In what Rushford-Peterson coach Tom Vix called a game of wills, Cass Lake-Bena displayed the most fortitude in a 63-61 victory at Williams Arena.
Cass Lake-Bena extended its first Class 1A state tournament appearance since 2010 with a 63-61 victory in double overtime against Rushford-Peterson on Thursday at Williams Arena.
No. 3 seed Cass Lake-Bena (30-1) saw leads at the end of regulation and the first overtime erased by clutch shots from Rushford-Peterson (23-8).
Ethan Brown’s pair of made free-throws put the Panthers ahead to stay at 63-60 with 9.8 seconds left.
Check back later for more on the game.