Viborg-Hurley turned aggression into results on the way to a consolation victory over Ethan during the Class B State Boys’ Basketball Tournament on Friday afternoon.

The Cougars allowed just 12 second-half points to pull away for a 56-42 victory at Wachs Arena.

After trailing by one point at halftime, Viborg-Hurley took control in the second half.

“Phenomenal effort I think,” said Viborg-Hurley coach Galen Schoenefeld. “I thought we really locked up well. We played some of their screening action better than we did in the first half, and we did a little bit better job with keeping them off the offensive boards, and the other thing was they really didn’t get the transition that they got in the first half.”

That’s because the Cougars responded to some instruction they received at halftime.

“The defensive adjustment was, be more aggressive,” Viborg-Hurley forward Kobee Sherman said. “We were kind of laying back, kind of taking a back seat there. We wanted to get going and really get after them.”

The Cougars did just that, holding Ethan to just four points total in the fourth quarter.

“Viborg-Hurley played very, very good defense,” said Ethan coach Bryce Roth. “I thought that we settled for poor shot selection. With the increase in the defensive intensity, you’ve still gotta think about what you’re trying to do and what types of shots you’re trying to take, and we played into their hand.”

The first half was tight with Viborg-Hurley opening a 27-22 lead in the second quarter before the Rustlers rallied to grab a 30-29 lead at the break.

Schoenefeld noted that several mistakes played a key role in allowing Ethan to lead at halftime.

“They were kind of getting some transition opportunities on us, and not so much maybe the offensive rebounds there, but it seemed like those were the two biggest things in that first half,” Schoenefeld said. “They were making us pay for not getting back.”

Roth was also pleased with how his team responded late in the first half.

“(We) certainly seized momentum. Defensively we made a couple of hustle plays,” Roth said. “Also, just did a better job of executing on the offensive side of the ball. Right there you could definitely see things shift. Things were going good at that point.”

That’s when Viborg-Hurley cranked up the intensity and took control in the final 16 minutes of action.

Sherman led Viborg-Hurley with 20 points, including five 3-pointers. Gage Goettertz also had 20 points, along with six assists. Nick Hanson added 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Ethan was led by Riley Endres with 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Taite Klumb had 10 points and six rebounds. Kory Storm added six points.

Ethan plays Faith in the seventh-place game at noon today.

Viborg-Hurley plays Castlewood in the fifth-place game at 1:45 p.m. Schoenefeld said the game will be challenge for his team.

“It’ll be another big challenge (with) a big guy inside,” Schoenefeld said. “Hopefully, we’re able to do some of the same things that we tried (Thursday) night against Wilkinson, and hopefully we still have the energy and stuff to get after it, and hopefully bring home a trophy.”

VIBORG-HURLEY (21-4): Brady Schroedermeier 0 2-4 2, Gage Goettertz 10 0-1 20, Kobee Sherman 6 3-3 20, Nick Hanson 4 1-2 10, Bryson Morrison 1 2-2 4 Devin Sayler 0 0-1 0, Nolan Kolthoff 0 0-2 0, Rafe Goettertz 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 8-15 56.

ETHAN (20-5): Kody Klumb 1 2-2 5, Taite Klumb 4 2-4 10, Riley Endres 8 0-1 17, Wyatt Sinkie 1 0-0 2, Kory Storm 3 0-0 6, Rylan Gerlach 0 0-0 0, Drake Gustafson 1 0-0 2. Totals 18 4-7 42.

Viborg-Hurley 17 29 46 56

Ethan 16 30 38 42

3-point field goals – Viborg-Hurley 6-11 (Sherman 5, Hanson); Ethan 2-10 (K. Klumb, Endres). Total fouls – Viborg-Hurley 11, Ethan 13. Rebounds – Viborg-Hurley 26 (Hanson 10); Ethan 29 (Endres 11). Turnovers – Viborg-Hurley 14; Ethan 12. Assists – Viborg-Hurley 8 (G. Goettertz 6); Ethan 10 (Endres 3). Steals – Viborg- Hurley 9 (Schroedermeier 3, G. Goettertz 3); Ethan 4 (Endres 2).