In a back-and-forth battle, Gregory made one more play than Leola-Frederick Friday afternoon at Wachs Arena.

Cruz Klundt made a free throw with 2.1 seconds left to give the Gorillas a 65-64 consolation victory during the Class B Boys’ Basketball State Tournament. It was the final swing in a fourth quarter that featured eight lead changes and saw one big possession after another.

Klundt said his goal was to get into the lane on his team’s final possession and try to get to the rim.

“Daniel (Mitchell) would set a screen for me, I would go in, hopefully get all the way to the lane and if not get fouled …. I saw that chance and I took it,” Klundt said.

Klundt did get fouled and made the first of two free throws to give his team the lead.

“That was definitely a little nerve-wrecking, but every single day in practice we do 20-30 free throws,” Klundt said of stepping up and making a foul shot. “It’s just routine. That’s all you have to stick to, is just stick to your routine.”

The Titans still had one last-ditch chance, but a half-court attempt at the win was just off the mark at the final buzzer.

“In that situation, you never know how they’re going to set up. You can’t scout that. You can go over situations in a huddle, but can’t really scout it,” said Gregory coach Jeff Determan. “We just told the guys, if they get it in, don’t foul. If they make a half-courter, they make a half-courter, and it almost went in.”

The Gorillas had a variety of options to go to on the final possession, which made defending them a challenge, according to Leola-Frederick’s Winston Clark.

“It was tough,” Clark said. “You didn’t know exactly who was going to take the shot, really, and they’ve definitely got capable shooters, too.”

Like their game on Thursday against Castlewood, the Titans owned a late lead but came up just short in the end against Gregory. Brayden Sumption nailed a 3-pointer to give Leola-Frederick a 64-61 lead with just more than a minute remaining, before Mitchell answered that with a triple of his own to tie the score back up.

The Titans then had a chance to score in the lane, failed to convert, got the Gorillas to turn the ball over, but then turned it right back over, setting up the final sequence.

“That was quite frustrating,” said Leola-Frederick coach Brock Pashen following the close setback.

He knew that Gregory would be a difficult matchup heading into the contest.

“You start looking at SoDak pairings,” Pashen said, “there was one team we didn’t want to see.”

Gregory owned a 10-point lead late in the first half before the Titans scored 13 unanswered points with contributions by six different players to set up a close battle the remainder of the contest.

To have any chance against the Titans, you better be able to handle the basketball. Leola-Frederick started pressing as soon as Gregory won the opening tip to start the game.

“We weren’t quite expecting that,” Determan said of the press just seconds into the contest, “but we knew the full court press was going to be a factor. We had to take care of the basketball.”

Taking care of the ball against Leola-Frederick is a daunting task as the Titans come at opponents in waves.

“It definitely gets to you a little bit. It kind of makes you start getting too fast and your mind’s going too fast,” Klundt said. “You just really got to focus on slowing down. Slowing the game down and just taking your time, taking a deep breath and making the right pass.”

Leola-Frederick is able to play that frenetic style, because Pashen subs frequently and there are always fresh bodies on the floor.

“We do get tired, but we have so many people that just bring the same energy every time,” Clark said. “That’s how we’re able to do what we do.”

Clark scored a career-high 12 points for the Titans in a reserve role, including a pair of 3-pointers.

“He’s been one of the many guys that’s just playing their role,” Pashen said. “He’s our shooter off the bench. He got some more minutes today because of that. He played a real good game.”

Klundt finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and a pair of steals for Gregory. Mitchell also had 18 points despite missing major minutes because of an injury.

The Gorillas (20-5) will face Wessington Springs for fifth place at 1:45 this afternoon. The two are in the same region, yet never faced each other this season.

“They’re going to push the ball off made and missed baskets,” Determan said, “try to get down the floor and attack the rim. Play really good defense.”

Sumption topped Leola-Frederick with 18 points, and Noah Kippley contributed 16. The Titans, 22-3 on the season, will take on Viborg-Hurley for seventh place at noon today.

“At least to get one win would be awesome,” Clark said. “We were hoping to get one, two maybe, but just to get one would be great.”

LEOLA-FREDERICK (22-3): Brayden Sumption 3 9-12 18, Gavin Nickelson 2 0-0 4, Noah Kippley 6 3-4 16, Milo Sumption 1 4-4 6, Ethan Petrich 0 2-4 2, Westyn Thorpe 0 2-4 2, Taylor Himanga 1 0-0 2, Winston Clark 5 0-2 12, Titus Kippley 0 2-2 2. Totals 18-53 22-32 64.

GREGORY (20-5): Noah Bearshield 4 0-3 9, Cruz Klundt 8 1-2 18, Daniel Mitchell 7 3-4 18, Jackson Bolander 1 0-0 2, Cole Serr 2 0-0 4, Colt Keiser 4 0-0 8, Nick Kenzy 1 0-0 2, Rane Kenzy 1 2-2 4. Totals 28-57 6-11 65.

Leola-Frederick 14 27 46 64

Gregory 16 31 49 65

3-point field goals – Sumption (3), Kippley, Clark (2); Bearshield, Klundt, Mitchell. Fouled out – Serr. Total fouls – Leola-Frederick 16; Gregory 25. Rebounds – Leola-Frederick 36 (M. Sumption 8); Gregory 35 (Klundt 10). Turnovers – Leola-Frederick 14; Gregory 18. Assists – Leola-Frederick 4; Gregory 16 (Klundt 6). Blocked Shots – Leola-Frederick 3 (B. Sumption 2); Gregory 4 (Mitchell 3). Steals – Leola-Frederick 7 (B. Sumption 3); Gregory 7 (Bearshield 2, Lincoln Juracek 2, Klundt 2).