MADISON – Eighth-seeded Elk Point-Jefferson used a strong second half to pull away from ninth-seeded Waubay-Summit for a 58-50 Class A SoDak 16 boys’ basketball win Tuesday night in Madison. Elk Point-Jefferson now advances to the state tournament in Sioux Falls March 16-18.

Waubay-Summit got off to a strong start and built a 23-15 advantage after the first quarter, thanks in part to hot shooting from Damon Opdahl, Jonathan Johnston, and Jackson Wohlleber.

However, the Mustangs struggled to score in the second quarter, mustering only two points, while the Huskies climbed back in the game to tie the contest at 25 at intermission.

In the second half, Elk Point-Jefferson took over, stretching its lead to 50-35 with six minutes left in the fourth quarter. However, Waubay-Summit never gave up and pulled to within 54-46 with 1:21 left. From there, the Huskies held on for the win, cementing their first state tournament appearance since 2010.

Garrett Merkley led Elk Point-Jefferson (17-5) with 15 points, including four 3-pointers, while Jakob Scarmon had 14 points. Evan Fornia logged 13 points, while Easton Kempf added seven points and nine rebounds.

Opdahl led Waubay-Summit with a game-high 18 points, while Johnston had 16, including five 3-pointers. Wohlleber and Traveion Neilan each added six points.

Waubay-Summit finished its season at 19-4.

WAUBAY-SUMMIT (19-4): Jackson Wohlleber 3 0-2 6, Damon Opdahl 6 3-4 18, Jared Purdy 2 0-0 4, Jonathan Johnston 5 1-3 16, Brady Lindholm 0 0-0 0, Traveion Neilan 3 0-0 6. Totals 19 4-9 50.

ELK POINT-JEFFERSON (17-5): Chance Fornia 1 0-0 3, Devon Schmitz 1 1-2 3, Garrett Merkley 4 3-4 15, Jakob Scarmon 5 3-4 14, Easton Kempf 3 1-3 7, Alexander Scarmon 2 0-0 4, Evan Fornia 6 1-2 13. Totals 22 9-15 58.

Waubay-Summit 23 25 35 50

Elk Point-Jefferson 15 25 39 58

3-point field goals – Opdahl 3, Johnston 5; Merkley 4, J. Scarmon. Total fouls – Waubay-Summit 13; Elk Point-Jefferson 13. Rebounds – Waubay-Summit 19 (Opdahl 3, Purdy 3, Johnston 3); Elk Point-Jefferson (Kempf 9). Turnovers – Waubay-Summit 6; Elk Point-Jefferson 13. Assists – Waubay-Summit 7 (Opdahl 3); Elk Point-Jefferson 11 (Schmitz 3, Merkley 3, E. Fornia 3). Steals – Waubay-Summit 10 (Wohlleber 3, Opdahl 3); Elk Point-Jefferson 4 (C. Fornia, Schmitz, Merkley, Kempf).