BROOKINGS – It was only a matter of time!

The Bobcats and Brandon Valley were tied 32-32 at halftime before Brookings’ talent won out in the second half as the ‘Cats rallied for a 68-56 the Region 1AA championship to qualify for next weekend’s Class AA State Basketball Tournament in Rapid City.

The Lynx were lights out in the first quarter as they knocked down 9-of-11 shots in the first eight minutes to build a 20-16 advantage.

Brandon Valley cooled off in the second, but still finished with a 12-of-21 performance from the field (57 percent), which included 4-of-8 from beyond the arc as the game was knotted up, 32-32, at halftime.

Despite falling behind by eight after back-to-back 3-pointers by Zach Scholten and Drew Jurgens early in the second, the ‘Cats closed the second quarter with a 14-6 run to tie the game at 32-all heading into the intermission.

It wasn’t like Brookings’ stats were shabby after 16 minutes as the Bobcats finished 13-of-23 from the floor for a comparable 57 percent as both teams knocked down 4-of-8 from long range.

“Knocking down 3s – they got 6-foot-8 guys knocking one down here and 6-6 guys knocking one down there – we maintained some composure that first half and that’s really what we needed to do to give ourselves a chance in the second half,” said Brookings head coach Travis Engebretson. “We made a few minor adjustments at halftime, but we just said, offensively, we just have to continue to do what were doing and defensively, let’s just stick with the game plan and let’s just contest shots and see what happens.”

Josh Mohs’ old-fashioned three-point play gave Brookings a 35-34 lead – its first since a Carter Holm trey at the 4:42 mark of the first – and then the Bobcat senior dropped a trey to put the Bobcats up 38-37 with 5:55 left in the third.

Cooper Olthoff went 1-of-2 from the line to tie the score at 38-all, but Holm scored in the lane and converted the foul shot to put the ‘Cats back on top at 41-38 with 4:42 to play in the third.

From there, Brookings took control – pushing its advantage to seven points on Sam Wilber’s 3-pointer with 3:10 left in the third – as they led 50-44 following a pair of Mohs’ free throws.

Brennan Carlson’s 3-pointer less than three minutes into the final frame gave the Bobcats a double-digit lead at 57-47 and the Lynx never got any closer than eight points over the last quarter as the final margin reached Mohs went 3-for-4 from the line in the final minute.

Mohs finished with 23 points to go along with four assists and a pair of steals while Holm netted 11 points, pulled down nine boards and dished out two dimes as Brookings improved to 19-4.

Brennan Carlson and Devin Coughlin each added 10 points, as Coughlin handed out four assists. Jameson Meyer chipped in with six points; Sam Wilber contribute four; and Drew Cole and Ryan Argust closed out the scoring with two apiece.

“You look at this group and every one of those seniors brings something to this team that’s extra special,” Engebretson said. “The sacrifices that Jamo and Argy play defense for us every possession – they just get after it – and Devin just going out there and playing so dang hard; Josh and Carter – a lot of times playing unselfish; Brennan – just being the competitor that he is; and Sam – just playing his role.

“It’s just a great group of kids and the word that we’ve been using the last couple of weeks is not a team, it’s a family and that’s really how we feel about this group.”

Jurgens led the Lynx, 15-8, with 19 points while Spencer Grage added 14.

Brookings is the second seen in next weekend’s Class AA Boys’ Basketball State Tournament and will play at 4 p.m. on Thursday in the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center Ice Arena in the first round. Unofficially, the Bobcats will face Aberdeen Central for the third time this season.

BROOKINGS 68, BRANDON VALLEY 56

Brandon Valley (15-8)

Zach Scholten 3-6 0-0 9, Alex Waltner 1-5 0-0 2, Drew Jurgens 7-10 1-2 19, Spencer Grage 5-13 3-3 14, Cade Terveer 1-5 6-10 8, Cooper Olthoff 1-3 1-2 3, Evan Talcott 0-2 1-2 1, Chase Grode 0-0 0-0 0, Dayton Johnson 0-0 0-0 0, Max Wilde 0-0 0-0 0, Jack Talcott 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-45 12-19 56.

Brookings (19-4)

Josh Mohs 6-10 8-11 23, Carter Holm 4-6 1-1 11, Jameson Meyer 3-3 0-0 6, Brennan Carlson 3-8 3-4 10, Devin Coughlin 4-6 1-1 10, Sam Wilber 1-5 1-2 4, Drew Cole 1-1 0-0 2, Ryan Argust 1-2 0-0 2, Riley Schafer 0-0 0-0 0, Josh Sell 0-0 0-0 0, Isaac Von Fischer 0-0 0-0 0, Seth Swedlund 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-41 14-19 68.

Brandon Valley                         20 12 12 12 – 56

Brookings                                16 16 18 18 – 68

3-point goals – BV 8-18 (Scholten 3-5, Waltner 0-1, Jurgens 4-5, Grage 1-4, Schlotman 0-1, Talcott 0-2); B 8-15 (Mohs 3-4, Holm 2-2, Carlson 1-1, Coughlin 1-3, Wilber 1-5). Rebounds – BV 27 (Waltner 7); B 26 (Holm 9). Assists – BV 10 (Terveer 3); B 12 (Mohs 4, Coughlin 4). Steals – BV 7 (Grage 2, Talcott 2); B 4 (Mohs 2). Blocks – BV 2 (Grage, Terveer); B 2 (Mohs, Coughlin). Turnovers – BV 11; B 9. Total fouls – BV 18; B 13. Fouled out – None.