ABERDEEN — Rudy Tomjanovich coined the phrase “Don't ever underestimate the heart of a champion.”

That rang true for the De Smet Bulldogs. 

The two-time Class B state champs rallied from a 15-point deficit to knock off Viborg-Hurley, 51-47, on Thursday at Wachs Arena. De Smet will now play Aberdeen Christian in the Class B semifinals on Friday. 

To get there, De Smet (21-3) had to rally from a 15-point deficit to secure its third straight Class B semifinal berth. 

“We came out slow,” De Smet senior Kasen Janssen said. “There's no doubt about that, but we got defense and there’s four quarters of basketball. We are going to battle all four quarters and we finally came out that second half and played our Bulldog basketball and defense. We hit some clutch shots at the end.”

De Smet all-state center Damon Wilkinson logged 14 points and 11 rebounds. The Bulldogs also received solid contributions from Kadyn Fast (14 points), Janssen (12 points) and George Jensen (nine points). 

Viborg-Hurley’s Nick Hanson posted 16 points and seven rebounds. Brady Schroedermeier and Kobee Sherman scored 10 points apiece for the Cougars (20-4). 

The Bulldogs trailed 37-36 after the third quarter and that’s when the action ratcheted up. Fast’s 3-pointer gave De Smet its first lead since early in the first quarter. De Smet pulled away for a 45-41 lead, but Nick Hanson’s 3-pointer pulled Viborg-Hurley ahead, 46-45. After Gage Goettertz split a pair of free throws, Janssen drilled a 3-pointer for a 48-47 lead with 3:05 left.

“That felt amazing,” Janssen said. “At the start of the game I was nervous. I missed a layup and I missed a jumper and I missed a three in the first half. When George goes and hits that next big three, it just brings all our energy levels up.” 

Jensen’s 3-pointer with 1:32 left was the final field goal of the game and Fast’s steal on VH’s next possession sealed the win. 

The Bulldogs are now undefeated in their last seven Class B state tournament games. 

“That was probably one of the craziest ones right there,” De Smet coach Jeff Gruenhagen said. “To be down and not seeing the ball fall in for us and kind of forcing the issue a little bit is just really tough to get kids to focus. But we still have to play defense and get stops.”

The Bulldogs started getting stops in the third quarter. De Smet, which trailed 27-17 at halftime, got within 37-36 after the third quarter. Wilkinson scored seven of De Smet’s final nine points in the final minutes of the third. 

Wilkinson’s 3-point play got De Smet within one point entering the fourth quarter. In the fourth, Janssen and Jensen delivered for the Bulldogs. 

“Huge clutch shots for those guys,” Gruenhagen said. “They were really packing it in on Damon. They kind of brought one more extra guy in there and we just didn’t space it out very well in the first half.”

It was especially special for a number of Bulldogs, who were playing their first extended minutes in a state tournament.

“It’s a totally different feeling,” Janssen said. “Last year I was on the bench. I was supporting those guys and I would come in when I needed to come in, but it’s a totally different feeling now that I am the one out there.” 

De Smet will play Aberdeen Christian in the championship semifinals on Friday.

“It’s going to be a tough one again,” Gruenhagen said. “They play very physical. They have got plenty of length. (Malek) Wieker can sure shoot it from everywhere. I think we matchup well with them.”