White River got into the lane, got to the line and was able to put the finishing touches on a third-place victory Saturday night.

The Tigers made 16 of 17 free throws in the fourth quarter alone to help fuel an 83-74 victory over Potter County during the State B Boys’ Basketball Tournament at Wachs Arena.

“We were able to hang on and make some plays down the stretch tonight, and knock some free throws down,” said White River coach Eldon Marshall.

White River made 23 of its 25 foul shots on the night. The Tigers repeatedly got into the lane to help produce those free-throw opportunities.

“We got ourselves in a little trouble with the fouls and then we were trying to not foul when we had fouls,” said Potter County coach Bryce Hall. “They’re very good down the hill at the rim, and we just couldn’t choke the lane off fast enough to keep them out.”

Dylan Marshall made six of his team’s charity tosses in the final period. He said the key is stay focused.

“Just stay calm and stay locked in,” the senior point guard said. “It’s like an 85 percent mind game.”

Marshall also made a key play in the closing minutes. With the Tigers leading by just four points, Marshall found himself trapped in a corner with no where to go before spotting Gavin Folkers for an uncontested layup.

“(Assistant coach Justice Morrison) always tell us to be patient and let stuff happen. I know I have five seconds there with the ball, so I was being patient and let it play out,” Marshall said. “And they all jumped up towards Joe (Sayler) and Nick (Marshall). Gavin stayed there and I spotted him.”

While the Tigers hit nearly every free throw they attempted, they still had a hard time shaking the Battlers because of the standout performance of Grant Luikens. The Potter County senior scored 12 fourth-quarter points, including a clutch three-pointer that drew the Battlers to within 73-70 with 1:19 left.

Luikens then added a foul shot to slice the deficit to within a single basket, before White River responded with eight unanswered points, all on free throws, including six by Sayler, to finally secure the win.

Luikens finished with 31 points and nine rebounds to lead the Battlers. Cooper Logan added 16 points, Drake Bassett 15, and Seth Sharp had 10 points and 11 rebounds. Potter County finished its season at 25-3 and achieved its goal of returning to the state tournament this season.

“I think we really focused on getting back here,” Hall said. “That was our sole goal, even during the summer was to get back to state.”

Sayler scored a game-high 37 points for the Tigers and also grabbed 10 rebounds. Dylan Marshall nearly had a triple double, finishing with 18 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists. Folkers added 13 points and Nicolas Marshall had nine.

White River concluded its year with a 21-3 record.

The Tigers wanted to cap their season on a positive note and were able to do so.

“Definitely for our seniors. That’s what we were focused on,” Coach Marshall said. “I told them before I don’t care if we win or lose, just go out and compete like you did (Friday) night. They did and they have been all year.”

WHITE RIVER (21-3): Nicolas Marshall 4 0-0 9, Dylan Marshall 5 8-9 18, Joe Sayler 10 15-16 37, Kendrell Cuevas 1 0-0 2, Gavin Folkers 5 0-0 13, TJ Beardt 1 0-0 2, Bryson Morrison 1 0-0 2. Totals 27-53 23-25 83.

POTTER COUNTY (23-3): Cooper Logan 6 4-4 16, Seth Sharp 3 4-4 10, Grant Luikens, 11 6-10 31, Drake Bassett 6 1-2 15, Ryder Falkenhagen 1 0-0 2. Totals 27-69 15-20 74.

White River 15 38 55 83

Potter County 11 28 54 74

3-point field goals – N. Marshall, Sayler 2, Folkers 3; Luikens 3, Bassett 2. Total fouls – White River 17; Potter County 20. Rebounds – White River 33 (Sayler 10, D. Marshall 7); Potter County 36 (Sharp 11, Luikens 9). Turnovers – White River 12; Potter County 5. Assists – White River 15 (D. Marshall 10); Potter County 7 (Luikens 3). Steals – White River 1; Potter County 4.