WATERTOWN — Viborg-Hurley did it again and now it is headed to the state championship.

The No. 8 seeded Cougars pulled their second consecutive upset and Friday’s 43-38 win over No. 4 Corsica-Stickney propelled them into Saturday’s Class B state championship game. 

It’s the first state championship berth as a co-op for Viborg-Hurley, which began its consolidation in 2011. The Cougars will play De Smet or Faith in Saturday’s championship game at the Watertown Civic Arena. 

“It feels so incredibly great right now,” Viborg-Hurley coach Molly Mason said. “I just feel like I am on cloud nine. It’s like a dream right now. I look at how far we’ve come and how hard the girls have worked. They’ve earned this and we deserve to be here.”

One night after upsetting No. 1 seed and defending Class A champ Aberdeen Roncalli, the Cougars faced state-tourney regular Corsica-Stickney. The Jaguars were making their fourth consecutive trip into the semifinals, but the Cougars again spoiled their bid for a state championship. 

Viborg-Hurley's Denae Mach looks to make a pass against Corsica-Stickney on Friday in Watertown. (Ryan Deal / 605 Sports)

Coral Mason led the Cougars (21-4) with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Denae Mach added 10 points, while sister Delana Mach added nine points. 

Corsica-Stickney’s Avery Broughton finished with 14 points and seven rebounds. Rachel Gerlach logged 12 points and six boards for the Jaguars (21-4).

All of Delana Mach’s points came from the 3-point line and her final triple was the biggest of the night. After a timeout, she buried a 3-pointer with under 1-minute and 30 seconds left, pushing Viborg-Hurley’s lead to 42-38. 

“That was huge for us,” Mason said. “She has shot so well from the perimeter and I told her a lot of coaches frown on the post player coming out and shooting that 3-pointer, but I always give her the green light because she does have a great shot. She did great.”

The play wasn’t intended for her to shoot it, Mach said, but the ball found her and she drilled it in front of the Viborg-Hurley bench.

“They were helping in the lane and I knew Broughton would be helping in the lane,” Mach said. “So I just sat in the corner and the corner is not even my 3-point shot. I normally can shoot from the top of the key way better, but I sunk the shot and it was like ‘Wow.’ ”

Corsica-Stickney's Payton DeLange attacks the basket against Viborg-Hurley's Delana Mach on Friday in Watertown. (Ryan Deal / 605 Sports)

After Gerlach missed two free throws, Mason hit one free throw for the final margin and the Cougars ran out the clock. 

In the first half, the Cougars built an eight-point lead and led 20-14 at halftime. Viborg-Hurley led 29-24 after three quarters and the teams traded leads in the final period. 

Broughton’s 3-pointer tied the score at 33-33 with 4:19 left. The all-stater committed to the University of South Dakota converted an old-fashioned 3-point play for a 36-35 advantage with 3:51 left.

Mason’s two free throws gave Viborg-Hurley a 37-36 lead, while Estelle Lee’s offensive putback extended Viborg-Hurley’s lead to 39-36 with under three minutes left. After Broughton’s two free throws got Corsica-Stickney within 39-38, Mach hit her third 3-pointer to clinch it for the Cougars.

Corsica-Stickney will play either De Smet or Faith for third place on Friday. The Cougars will play the Bulldogs or Longhorns as they look to cap off an already memorable weekend with a state championship. 

“I think adrenaline is going to pull them through,” coach Mason said. “We are in the state championship game. It’s just crazy and I think they are going to be ready.”