HURON – Wolsey-Wessington outscored Ethan 17-10 in the fourth quarter, including the final five points of the contest, to earn a 60-55 win in the third-place game at the Class B Girls’ State Basketball Tournament Saturday night at the Huron Arena.

Leah Williams broke a tie score on a three-point play with 2:05 remaining and then added a pair of free throws to put the finishing touches on the victory.

The fourth quarter came after the Warbirds trailed at the end of each of the first three quarters.

Ethan was able to take an early lead and owned a 15-11 edge after the opening period. In the second quarter, the Rustlers stretched their lead to 28-19 before the Warbirds fought back to tie the game at 28 in the closing seconds of the half. However, Ethan’s Marissa Storm nailed a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Rustlers a 31-28 halftime lead.

Despite being down for much of the first half, Wolsey-Wessington coach Josh McGillvrey said his team continued to fight.

“We just picked up the aggressiveness on defense,” McGillvrey said. “We were just trying to get up in them, kind of press them a little bit, push them backwards. Offensively, I thought we were just moving the ball really well, and that made a huge difference for us.”

In the third quarter, Wolsey-Wessington took the lead and stretched it to a 42-33 advantage. However, Ethan regained the momentum and took back the lead at 45-43 heading into the final period.

McGillvrey noted that both teams came out in the half with intensity.

“That third quarter was definitely a tough one,” McGillvrey said. “Both teams were coming out and gonna leave it all on the floor. We just had to stay composed and not get too rattled. We didn’t turn the ball over, stayed within ourselves, and we were able to get it done.”

The fourth quarter went back-and-forth, with both teams trading leads, as well as being tied three times setting the stage for the late-game heroics of Williams.

McGillvrey said his team made every possession count down the stretch.

“We weren’t coming up empty on possessions,” McGillvrey said. “We were getting a bucket it seemed like every time we were coming down the floor. We hit free throws, didn’t turn the ball, and we rebounded very well.”

Wolsey-Wessington was led by Mallory Miller with 22 points and 14 rebounds, while Williams had 15 points. Mya Boomsma added 13 points, and Taylor Horn contributed eight.

Ethan (21-4) was led by Ava Lingemann with 18 points, while Storm had 17. Annalise Buenning and Madeline Bartscher each added seven.

For the Warbirds, who finished 23-3, it meant the end of a career for five seniors. McGillvrey said those players have meant a lot to the Wolsey-Wessington program.

“It’s a special group for what they’ve accomplished this season, not just in basketball, but going and getting third place in volleyball, and getting third place in basketball to follow it up. You don’t see that too often,” McGillvrey said. “They’re a special group. I really do think these girls are going to do something special. I’m looking forward to seeing where they’re at down the road five years from now.”

ETHAN (21-4): Marissa Storm 6 0-0 17, Ava Lingemann 6 4-6 18, Ella Pollreisz 2 0-0 4, Annalise Buenning 2 2-3 7, Madeline Bartscher 3 0-0 7, Leah Klock 1 0-0 2. Totals 20 6-9 55.

WOLSEY-WESSINGTON (23-3): Leah Williams 4 6-7 15, Lainey Uttecht 1 0-0 2, Taylor Horn 4 0-1 8, Mya Boomsma 6 0-0 13, Mallory Miller 10 2-5 22, Payton Kemnitz 0 0-0 0. Totals 25 8-13 60.

Ethan 15 31 45 55

Wolsey-Wessington 11 28 43 60

3-point field goals – Storm 5, Lingemann 2, Buenning, Bartscher; Williams, Boomsma; Total fouls – Ethan 14; Wolsey-Wessington 12; Rebounds – Ethan 23 (Lingemann 5, Pollreisz 5); Wolsey-Wessington 32 (Miller 14). Turnovers – Ethan 5; Wolsey-Wessington 10, Assists – Ethan 8 (Bartscher 5); Wolsey-Wessington 9 (Boomsma 3, Miller 3); Steals – Ethan 10 (Lingemann 3); Wolsey-Wessington 4.