Success from behind the arc helped Aberdeen Christian end the season on a high note Saturday afternoon.

The Knights drilled seven 3-pointers on the way to a 64-46 win over Lyman to claim seventh place at the Class B State Boys’ Basketball Tournament at Wachs Arena.

Jett Johnson led the 3-point barrage, nailing four treys during the contest.

“We really shot well here on Wednesday and Jett Johnson was shooting really well Wednesday in our shoot-around. Shooting from that deep, it’s just not gonna go in every game,” said Christian coach Matt Rohrbach. “Jett was kind of shooting into the ocean there a little bit, Ethan Biel hit a big one. I think we had six as a team, maybe seven, and that’s about all you can ask for as a coach.”

The ‘big one’ from Biel came in the second quarter when the Knights were trying to stretch their lead. Lyman had cut a nine-point deficit down to five, before Luke Kaiser hit a three, which was followed up by Biel’s three which prompted a timeout from the Raiders.

“It was amazing. I know I got the confidence to hit those shots, and my teammates have the utmost confidence in me always, and they trust me,” said Biel, a senior who was able to score in his final game.

The trio of shooters combined to shoot 7-for-14 from distance with Johnson going 4-for-7, Kaiser 2-for-5, and Biel 1- for-2, putting pressure on the Raiders’ defense.

“Good teams will move the ball, and … they shot lights out. That’s a credit to them,” said Cooper Garnos, Lyman coach. “You know those kids are in the gym shooting, ‘cause those just don’t drop out of anywhere.”

While the Knights put on a long-distance shooting display, the biggest highlight was provided by Brooks Jett.

The sophomore was hit in full stride coming down the lane and finished the drive with a one-handed slam.

“I do it often in practice and everybody asks me why I don’t do it in games. It’s kind of just a reaction. If it’s there, I’ll just do it,” said Jett. “Once you realize it, you’re like ‘Oh, I just dunked on somebody,’ and you get flooded with emotions.”

Rohrbach saw the play develop and was prepared for what was coming.

“I don’t want to be biased here, but I think that’s the craziest, nicest dunk I’ve seen at the state tournament. I mean that was ridiculous,” said Rohrbach. “We all were like, ‘Oh, he’s gonna do it, he’s gonna do it,’ and then he did it. It was crazy, he was up there by his elbow. I thought I was watching Vince Carter for a second there.”

With Christian holding a 33-20 advantage at halftime, Lyman senior Aksel Ehlers knew he had to do something to help provide a spark for his team.

“I just saw we were down. I mean, I don’t wanna go out my last game with two points,” said Ehlers. “So, I thought, might as well get something done and thankfully, I made a few shots.”

Ehlers scored six of his eight points in the third quarter, and another eight points from Dawsen Volmer helped the Raiders outscore the Knights 18-15, but Lyman still trailed by 10 heading into the final quarter.

Christian then put the game away by doubling up the Raiders 16-8 in the final eight minutes of action.

While Lyman finished its season with a setback, Garnos was happy that his players got to experience playing in a state tournament.

“The guys, love them. You have this bond and you have highs, lows, in betweens. The good, the bad, the ugly, but on the other side of that, you get through it. And the big thing is you get through it together,” said Garnos. “They’re gonna be able to look back years from now… and think ‘Man, that was probably one of my (best) experiences in high school.’”

Kaiser topped Christian with 22 points, Johnson added 14, and Jett had 13 points and 14 rebounds.

Senior Ellis Russell capped his career with a team-leading five assists.

““It’s bittersweet. Just going out, not on top but with the win, but then having it be your last game,” Russell said. “It’s sad, but it’s also great to have it here at state. It’s really special.”

Volmer’s 16 points powered Lyman, and MJ Diehm contributed 12.

Ehlers was part of a strong post-season run, which saw Lyman take down a higher-seeded team on the way to the state tournament.

“Being the underdog in the (SoDak) 16 and then ended up making it when everyone thought we couldn’t, is more than I could ever really dream of doing,” Ehlers said. “I’m gonna miss all these guys and whatnot, but I think they’ll be back.”

The Knights finished with a 19-7 record and found a way to get to the state tourney, despite returning only one full-time starter from a year ago in Russell.

“It’s awesome man, we got a great group of guys here and great coaches throughout the years. We’re really brothers … just can’t get enough of each other,” Russell said. “We love each other and play for each other, so I think that’s how we get success.”

ABERDEEN CHRISTIAN (19-7): Jett Johnson 5 0-0 14, Dylan Hofer 1 0-0 2, Luke Kaiser 9 2-2 22, Brooks Jett 6 1-2 13, Ethan Biel 1 0-0 3, Grady Jett 5 0-0 10. Totals 27 3-6 64.

LYMAN (18-8): MJ Diehm 5 1-2 12, Aksel Ehlers 3 2-2 8, Dawson Volmer 6 3-4 16, Cole Kieffer 1 0-0 2, Chase Seaboy 4 0-0 8. Totals 19 6-8 46.

Aberdeen Christian 17 33 48 64

Lyman 10 20 38 46

3-point field goals – Johnson 4, Kaiser 2, Biel; Diehm, Volmer. Total fouls – Aberdeen Christian 9; Lyman 10. Rebounds – Aberdeen Christian 29 (B. Jett 14); Lyman 21 (Diehm 5). Turnovers – Aberdeen Christian 15; Lyman 14. Assists – Aberdeen Christian 15 (Russell 5); Lyman 6. Blocked shots – Aberdeen Christian 2 (Russell, B. Jett); Lyman 2 Diehm, Kieffer 1). Steals – Aberdeen Christian 8 (Hofer 3); Lyman 10 (Diehm 4).