De Smet and Gregory traded punches on Thursday night, but the Bulldogs came up with the final blow.

George Jensen’s 3-point basket with one second remaining lifted second-seeded De Smet to a 41-38 opening round win over Gregory at the State B Boys’ Basketball Tournament at Wachs Arena.

“When I shot it, it looked like it was about to hit the ceiling for me,” Jensen said of the shot. “And then somehow it went in.”

Jensen’s shot came after a pair of free throws by De Smet’s Kadyn Fast tied the game at 38-all with 1:03 left. Gregory looked to try to retake the lead on the next possession, but turned the ball over, giving the Bulldogs one last chance to win the game.

De Smet coach Jeff Gruenhagen called a timeout with 13 seconds to set up the final play.

“We were going to actually inbound and run a ball screen, and then let (Jensen) roll and then actually pop to the 3-point line,” Gruenhagen said.

Gregory coach Jeff Determan described the Gorillas’ defensive plan during the final play and gave credit to Jensen for making the shot.

“We needed to be in position, make sure we guarded their playmakers, and we did,” Determan said. “We had it defended perfectly and Jensen just made a heckuva shot.”

The shot came after both squads had duked it out in a defensive slugfest that began in the opening quarter when the Gorillas built a 9-3 lead, shutting down the Bulldogs early in the game.

“I don’t think we really came ready to play honestly,” Jensen said. “But I think our experience helps us to grind out wins even when we’re not making shots right away, and just play defense and get rebounds.”

While Gregory prefers a bit of a faster style of game, Determan said De Smet’s defense did not allow his team to get out and run as much, resulting in adjustments to the game plan.

“The game plan wasn’t really to slow it down offensively, but they’re good defensively and they don’t let you get those things,” Determan said. “We kind of had to adjust and run some ball screen action, and try to get some stuff going to the basket just off pick and roll.”

The Bulldogs got the offense going in the second quarter and proceeded to outscore the Gorillas 20-9. De Smet opened the quarter on a 7-0 run, with Jensen contributing five of the seven points. From there, the Bulldogs were able to build a 23-18 lead heading into halftime.

“Just made enough hustle plays and kind of tied that game up all by themselves by just bearing down, playing defense, got some run outs, got some fast breaks, and just really kind of picked up the pace at that point,” Gruenhagen said of the second quarter.

Despite the halftime deficit, Gregory answered back in the third quarter by scoring 15 points (including 13 in a row), while limiting De Smet to just four points and one basket from the field. The Gorillas continued to hit difficult shots and used a balanced scoring attack to take a 33-27 lead into the final period.

“Our playmakers made plays,” Determan said. “We also had kids that don’t necessarily lead us in scoring. Our roles step up and do a good job on the boards rebounding, and got a couple of baskets for us, too.”

The fourth quarter primarily belonged to De Smet. The Bulldogs made several key shots on offense, while also coming up with defensive stops when needed, allowing the Gorillas just five points on two baskets.

All of that led to the final seconds where Jensen made the shot of his life in front of a packed Wachs Arena. The senior was heavily guarded by Gregory standout Daniel Mitchell during the final play, but rose to the occasion.

“I knew I was kind of feeling it that game, so I knew if I had a chance, I felt like I had a good chance of making it,” Jensen said. “But I had Daniel Mitchell on me, too. He’s so long, such an amazing defender. The only way I could get a shot off was by shooting a step back.”

Jensen’s game winning basket caused the Bulldog faithful to erupt as the shot catapulted De Smet into the semifinals, where it will face archrival Castlewood tonight at 7:45.

Jensen and Fast each finished with 14 points, while Jensen also had six rebounds. Britt Carlson added seven points to the De Smet total.

Gregory (19-5) was led by Cruz Klundt with 13 points, while Mitchell totaled nine points, seven rebounds, and three blocks. The Gorillas will face Leola-Frederick today at 1:45 p.m. in consolation round play. Despite the loss, Determan was proud of his team’s efforts.

“I told the guys we know we have a good basketball team, and we know that we can defend,” Determan said. “I’m proud of the effort, they’ve done it all year and it was not a surprise tonight that they came out and played like they did tonight.”

Meanwhile, De Smet (21-3) will prepare for tonight’s matchup as the Bulldogs continue their quest for a fourth consecutive state championship.

“We’ve got to just make sure we’re taking care of the ball,” Gruenhagen said. “Then just break down some stuff and come (ready).”

GREGORY (19-5): Noah Bearshield 2 0-0 4, Cruz Klundt 5 1-2 13, Daniel Mitchell 4 0-0 9, Jackson Bolander 1 0-0 2, Rane Kenzy 1 2-2 4, Lincoln Juracek 1 0-0 2, Cole Serr 1 0-0 2, Colt Keiser 1 0-0 2. Totals 16 3-4 38.

DE SMET (21-3): Tom Aughenbaugh 2 0-0 4, Trace Van Regenmorter 1 0-0 2, Kadyn Fast 4 5-6 14, Britt Carlson 3 1-2 7, George Jensen 5 0-0 14. Totals 15 6-8 41.

Gregory 9 18 33 38

De Smet 3 23 27 41

3-point field goals – Klundt (2), Mitchell; Jensen (4), Fast. Total fouls – Gregory 17; De Smet 10. Rebounds – Gregory 27 (Mitchell 7); De Smet 24 (Jensen 6). Turnovers – Gregory 11; De Smet 5. Assists – Gregory 6 (Bearshield 2, Kenzy 2); De Smet 6 (Van Regenmorter 2, Fast 2). Blocks – Gregory 6 (Mitchell 3); De Smet 1 (Jensen). Steals – Gregory 3 (Klundt 2); De Smet 6 (Aughenbaugh 3).