ABERDEEN — Viborg-Hurley held off a late-game surge from Dell Rapids St. Mary, and will now play in its first state championship since 2013.

The Cougars built a 12-point third-quarter lead, withstood a late Cardinal surge and picked up a 56-49 Class B boys basketball win at an electric Wachs Arena on Friday. 

“I am just so happy for our kids that get to experience that,” Viborg-Hurley coach Shane Warwick said.  

The Cougars (23-2) stretched a 12-point third quarter lead, but the Cardinals (23-2) got within striking distance (45-39) entering the fourth quarter. 

Viborg-Hurley, however, pushed its lead to 52-42 before DRSM made its last gasp effort. DRSM’s Trimmier Hanson hit a field goal and Trevon Beckman hit two free throws to get within 52-46 with 3:51 left. 

“That game was crazy,” Viborg-Hurley senior Nick Hanson said. “We knew coming into the game it was going to be a tough game. It was going to come down to the last minute. We knew everything wasn't going to be easy. We knew we had to battle.”

At the 3:10 mark, Lincoln LeBrun hit a 3-pointer that rattled in and cut Viborg-Hurley’s lead to 52-49. 

In a chaotic finish, the teams traded turnovers and Nick Hanson just missed a layup that would have given Viborg-Hurley a 5-point lead. 

But Nick Hanson, Rafe Goettertz and Jake Austin closed out the game at the free-throw line. And Viborg-Hurley breathed a huge sigh of relief, while Warwick praised his team for keeping its composure. 

“We had a layup and a free throw that probably could have put it away,” Warwick said. “It didn't go in, but that’s the piece. We plan for that. It’s going to happen. I thought we did a good job getting through it.” 

Hanson finished with 20 points and eight rebounds, while Owen Niederbaumer tallied 11 points and six rebounds. Braydyn Morrison added nine points on three 3-pointers.  

Beckman finished with a game-high 25 points and hit five 3-pointers, while playing close to three quarters with three fouls. 

“Beckman is a crazy player,” Nick Hanson said. “He can knock down some of the craziest shots in the world and we just had to stay together to win that.”

Trimmier Hanson, Jake Kopsas and Maverick LeBrun scored seven points apiece.

Hanson, a 6-foot-7 senior, was tasked with defending LeBrun, a 6-foot-6 senior headed to play football at South Dakota State University. Hanson held LeBrun to 2-of-7 shooting from the field and just five rebounds. 

“We have been teammates for two summers in a row, and I knew coming into the fight it was going to be a great battle between me and him,” Hanson said. 

The teams played to a 9-7 DRSM lead after the first quarter, while Viborg-Hurley led 23-19 at halftime. Niederbaumer hit a 3-pointer before the buzzer, extending Viborg-Hurley’s lead to four points. 

The Cougars stretched the margin to as much as 33-21 on another Niederbaumer 3-pointer. The Cougars outscored the Cardinals, 22-20, in the third quarter before securing the victory in the fourth quarter.  

“They have scored a ton of points this year and for the most part I thought we did about as good of a job as we could do on Beckman and LeBrun,” Warwick said. “I am thrilled with the effort and they followed through with the game plan on that.”