RAPID CITY — White River relied on its defense to set up a Lakota Nation Invitational championship rematch.

The Class B No. 3 Tigers outlasted Custer, 52-48, in the LNI boys basketball semifinals on Thursday at the Summit Arena. 

White River, which shot 2 of 16 from the 3-point line, overcame the sluggish shooting performance and used its defense to edge Custer. 

“We talked about defense coming out to the LNI,” said White River senior Nic Marshall, who scored 25 points. “Last year we weren’t a defensive team. We were a scoring team. This year we lost some of that scoring power with Joe (Sayler) leaving. So we have to buckle down and we have to play this year. So we’ve been working on it and it showed that game a little bit.”

Jordan Uhlir added 11 points for the Tigers. White River’s Mackenzie Wike had seven points, while Ray Crow added five points. 

Custer’s Kincade Lehmen had 13 points, while Rett Lowe posted 11 points. Kyle Virtue added eight points and six rebounds. 

The Wildcats out-rebounded the Tigers, 37-17. 

“We try to focus on defense and getting stops and rebounding,” White River coach Eldon Marshall said. “We did a little better job rebounding in the second half, but I thought toward the end of the game when we needed to, we made some defensive stops. We made them work for everything. Early in the year, it’s hard to execute that offense and guys aren’t in rhythm, but they are really working hard defensively.” 

White River, which led 45-37 with 6 1/2 minutes left, received key contributions when Marshall was whistled for his fourth foul. Teagen Bowman, Crow and Wike handled guard duties, while Uhlir and Evastine Wright helped in the paint. 

“I got into foul trouble and we got three stops in a row without me out there,” Nic Marshall said. “So that’s all credit to my teammates. They got it all done.”

Custer's Kyle Virtue goes up for a shot against White River at the Lakota Nation Invitational on Thursday in Rapid City. (Ryan Deal / 605 Sports)

Custer, however, crept back into the game and took a 48-47 lead. Marshall hit 5 of 6 free throws in the final minute to lift White River to the victory. Marshall finished 13 of 14 at the free-throw line for the game. 

“I am confident with him going to the free-throw line,” Eldon Marshall said. “As a senior, he should be confident, too, and he stepped up to the line with confidence and knocked them down.”

The Tigers will now play Rapid City Christian, which beat Crazy Horse, in the semifinals on Friday. The Comets outlasted White River in last season’s LNI championship game.

“A good Rapid City Christian team,” Nic Marshall said. “But we are going to be ready to go.”