A dramatic finish ended the Class 2A quarterfinals and sent third-seeded Central Lyon into the next round.
Sophomore Desta Hoogendoorn took a bounce pass from Regan Van Wyhe and hit a short jumper in the lane at the buzzer to give Central Lyon a 42-40 victory over Cascade.
The buzzer-beater capped a game that looked to be a rout at one point, then turned into a tense finish that featured big shots on both sides.
Hoogendoorn finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Lions (23-2), who’ll face second-seeded Denver in a semifinal at 11:45 a.m. Friday. She also had three assists and two steals and blocked four shots.
Addison Klosterbuer added 14 points with four 3-pointers and nine rebounds for Central Lyon, while Kaylee Davis had six points and seven rebounds.
Ally Hoffman led Cascade with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Alyssa Lux added eight points, three assists and three steals for the Cougars (20-4), who made the tournament for the eighth time in 10 seasons.
Cascade has been known for years for its stingy defense – the Cougars were allowing only 30 points a game – but Central Lyon solved it in the early going and led by as many as 14 points.
The Lions ran off nine straight points to open a 20-8 lead and a 6-0 burst made it 26-12 midway through the second quarter. When Klosterbuer buried her third long 3 of the game, the Lions led 29-15 and looked to be heading for a comfortable victory.
But the Cascade defense took hold in the second half and the Cougars clawed back, outscoring the Lions 16-4 to take a 35-33 lead early in the fourth quarter. It was a back-and-forth affair from then on.
Klosterbuer splashed a 3 from the right corner for a 38-35 lead. Hoffman countered with a 3 from the top of the key to tie it. Hoogenboorn’s layup sent Central Lyon back ahead, only to see Cascade tie it again, Lux driving into the lane and dropping off a bounce pass to Josie Manternach for a layup and a tie at 40 52 seconds left.
The Lions, who became just the fifth team to reach 40 points against Cascade, then worked for the final shot and got it. Van Whye bounced a pass to Hoogendoorn in the middle of the lane and the 6-footer dropped in the game winner.