MADISON, Wis. — Down by as many as eight points in the second half, the Lourdes Academy Knights found themselves in a hole with a berth to the state Division 4 championship on the line.
With less than three seconds left in the game, a pass from Preston Ruedinger to Hayden Jones found the net, and the Knights were finally up by two. Osseo-Fairchild could not capitalize on its final possession, and Lourdes Academy will move on with a 70-68 victory late Thursday night.
"I was thankful to make it," Jones said. "Thankfully, I made it. And yeah, just I'm just thankful it went in."
Lourdes Academy head coach Brad Clark said the Knights have run that exact play and scenario in practice many times, and his players executed it just like they were supposed to.
"You know, even if we got a stop and it was tied, we were going for the one shot. I'll put all the chips on the table with my guys playing for the last shot of the game."
For Osseo-Fairchild, Logan Mulhem led the second-half surge for the Thunder with 33 points, but in the end, his effort wasn't enough.
The second-seeded Knights will now meet New Glarus, the No. 4 seed that upset top-seeded Roncalli earlier Thursday.
CORRECTION: The video incorrectly states Lourdes Academy will play Waupun next. It will play New Glarus in the championship game.
