ABERDEEN — Freeman started fast, outlasted Sully Buttes late and is onto the Class B semifinals. 

The Flyers drilled 12 3-pointers and held off the Chargers, 63-55, in the first round of the Class B boys basketball tournament at Wachs Arena. Freeman will play in the Class B semifinals on Friday for the first time since 1999. 

On Thursday, the Flyers (22-2) built a 24-11 first-quarter advantage and put away the scrappy Chargers (18-6) in the closing minutes. 

“We had to hit some shots down the stretch,” said Freeman sophomore Tayden Kerrigan, who scored 17 points. “They started making some tough ones so credit them for that. But we stayed relisent.” 

Freeman was clinging to a 43-39 advantage after the third quarter and pulled away for a 49-39 lead with 6:34 left. But the Chargers got within 51-48 with 4:11 left after a Jett Yackley field goal. 

The Flyers answered with an 8-3 run, capped off by a David Walter field goal, and stretched their lead to 59-52 with 1:06 left. 

After Yackley hit three free throws, slicing the deficit to 59-55 with 59 seconds left, Walter converted 4-of-6 foul shots to ice the victory. 

In the first quarter, Freeman shot 8-of-14 from the field and 5-of-11 from the 3-point line to spark a 24-11 advantage. 

“Anytime you get a cushion you can afford a few mistakes,” Freeman coach Lance Friesen said. “Hopefully we can stay mentally sharp for four quarters. Because that’s what it is going to take the next round.”

Friesen and Kerrigan both said the hot shooting started with Sully Buttes keying on Walter, a 6-foot-5 all-state sophomore. 

“They were packing it in guarding David,” Friesen said. “That’s a smart game plan against us and we’ve been shooting a lot of shots and everybody is a really good shooter.” 

“It starts with David,” said Friesen, who had five of Freeman’s 12 3-pointers. “He gets doubled. He kicks it out to us and we are shooting shots and that’s huge.”

Sully Buttes, however, chipped away at the deficit and trailed 32-21 at halftime. Sully Buttes used an 18-11 third-quarter margin to get within 43-39 at halftime. 

All-state guard Wesley Wittler (28 points), Jett Yackley (15 points) and Gavin Colson (10 points) combined for 53 of the Chargers’ 55 points to spark the comeback attempt. 

Wittler, who is headed to play college football at Northwestern College in Iowa, was Freeman’s main focus on defense. Wittler finished 11-of-28 from the field and 2-of-9 from the 3-point line. 

“Try to stop him in transition and plug the gaps next to the ball,” Friesen said about the defensive plan. “He was able to get some open shots for other people.”

“I knew he was good, and then he comes out and he’s taking tough shots left and right,” Kerrigan said. “He’s awesome though.”

Freeman used an 20-16 fourth-quarter margin to outlast the Chargers. Walter finished with 15 points and seven rebounds. Luke Miller added 10 points and two 3-pointers. Tate Sorensen and Tannen Auch both hit two 3-pointers apiece.  

“We needed them clearly,” Kerrigan said about the 3-pointers. “We do a lot of shooting practice. So it paid off. It was good to see.”

Sully Buttes will play Wall or De Smet at 12:45 p.m., CT in the consolation semifinals. Freeman will play Wall or De Smet at 6:45 p.m., CT in the championship semifinals.