ABERDEEN — Freeman and Wall delivered an instant classic Friday.

The Flyers and Eagles traded shots and momentum swings in a Class B semifinal thriller at an electric Wachs Arena. In the end, Freeman outlasted Wall 74-70 and will play in its first Class B state championship since 1999 on Saturday. 

“Remarkable,” Freeman coach Lance Friesen said. “It was a heckuva game. They shot it so well and they played so hard and we have so much respect for Wall.”

The Flyers will play Castlewood for the Class B state championship at 6:45 p.m., CT, Saturday at Wachs Arena. 

On Friday, Freeman (23-2) matched up with Wall (20-5) for the second time this season. The Flyers handed the Eagles a 72-48 loss on Feb. 14 at the Corn Palace.

The rematch delivered on the biggest stage, as both teams traded blows in a showcase of Class B drama at its finest.

“It was back and forth the whole game,” Freeman sophomore David Walter said. “They hit some tough shots. We hit some tough shots, some tough misses. But in the end we battled through. We were tough and we got it done.”

Walter, a 6-foot-5 forward, shined with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Wall’s Teelan Kjerstad, a fellow all-stater, was just as good on the biggest stage. The scoring machine tossed in 30 points and hit five of Wall’s 12 3-pointers. 

“Electric,” Friesen said to describe Kjerstad. “He was doing it in transition. Those are tough shots in transition. That’s next level shooting.”

In the first meeting, Kjerstad scored just nine points on 3-of-15 shooting from the field and 1-of-8 from the 3-point line. In the rematch, Kjerstad nearly willed his team to victory and gained a measure of respect from his AAU teammate. 

“He’s very good,” Walter said. “I will play with him this summer. He’s a good shooter. He’s a college level athlete and I would say he’s one of the best players in Class B.”

Freeman’s Tate Sorensen added 13 points and seven rebounds. Tayden Kerrigan posted 14 points and nine rebounds. Luke Peters scored 10 points.

Wall’s Emmet Dinger tossed in 22 points and hit six 3-pointers. Jace Mohr added 10 points for Wall, which took a 65-64 lead on a Dinger 3-pointer with 4:08 left.

After a timeout, the Flyers closed on a 10-3 run to secure the victory. After Kerrigan gave Freeman a 66-65 advantage, Luke Miller scored on a steal and layup for a 68-65 lead. 

After Mohr split a pair of free throws, Mohr put back an offensive rebound for a 70-66 lead with 42 seconds left. 

Walter converted on 3-of-4 free throws in the final 30 seconds, and Freeman celebrated the semifinal victory. 

The game was tied six times and featured 10 lead changes. Freeman was clinging to a 19-18 first-quarter lead and Wall led 34-33 at halftime after a seesaw first half. 

Behind Kjerstad’s hot hand, the Eagles surged ahead in the third quarter. Wall hit seven 3-pointers in the third quarter, with Kjerstad scoring 14 points in the period. Wall outscored Freeman, 25-19, in the third quarter. 

“Weather the storm,” Friesen said about his team’s mindset. “We knew this was a possibility. Weather the storm and stay together. Because they’re together, too. I have so much respect for them. But we had to stay cohesive.” 

Wall built a nine-point lead with five minutes left in the third quarter, and led 59-52 entering the fourth quarter. In the final quarter, Freeman outscored Wall 22-11. 

“Just sticking together and finding ways to score,” Walter said. “I would say are probably the reasons we got this game done and just being smart with the ball at times when we needed to be.”

Wall will play Lyman at 5 p.m., CT in the third-place game. The Eagles defeated Lyman 74-47 earlier this season.

Freeman will play Castlewood at 6:45 p.m., CT in the state championship. The Warriors won last season’s Class B state championship. 

“They’re the defending state champs,” Walter said. “We have to be ready to go and we have to be ready to play our game.”