Leola-Frederick got the tempo it wanted, but in the end, could not handle Castlewood’s advantage inside.

With the game on the line, 6-foot-9 Bryon Laue came up big on both ends of the floor to lift the Warriors to a 72-67 victory during the opening round of the Class B State Boys’ Basketball Tournament at Wachs Arena Thursday night.

“We went to Bryon at the end and he came through for us,” said Castlewood coach Paul Raasch.

Laue scored 11 fourth-quarter points, including a crucial conventional three-point play and another inside layup after Castlewood senior leader Lane Tvedt had fouled out. Those five points broke a 63-63 tie and gave the Warriors a small cushion to work with in the closing minutes

“We lost Tvedt, so we just kind of got it down low into the post,” Laue said, “and went up, got a few and ones and finishes.”

One of those was an off-balance left-handed shot that gave Castlewood a lead it never lost with 1:45 remaining.

When asked how he was able to play through contact and finish with his off hand, Laue responded, “I don’t know. I kind of just was off balance, got pushed and just threw it up, and it went in.”

Laue was also a huge force on defense, where he blocked or altered several shots on the other end of the floor to help preserve the lead.

Leola-Frederick coach Brock Pashen said Laue is more than a handful.

“He’s two handsful,” Pashen said.

The Titans’ coach said his team got the ball inside, but usually ran into resistance in Laue.

“I felt we got the ball into the paint like we wanted,” Pashen said, “but that’s a long wing span there.”

Trailing 68-65, the Titans had one opportunity to have the ball in a one-possession game, but came up empty in the final minute and were never able to make a serious run after that.

In the end, it came down to making a few plays at crunch time.

“We just locked in and made some plays at the end on both ends,” Raasch said. “We kind of gritted our teeth a little bit.”

The Titans were able to speed the game up like they wanted the entire night, but were unable to get the final results that they desired.

“We had the perfect recipe for what we needed,” Pashen said, “and we just weren’t able to finish, but our boys played well.”

Leola-Frederick, which trailed by as many as eight points in the opening half, eventually overtook the Warriors and led by four points on two different occasions in the final quarter.

The Titans certainly gained a large measure of respect by the way they battled the top-rated team in the final media poll.

“They earned a lot of respect tonight. They weren’t getting a lot of respect throughout the year,” Raasch said. “They’re real tough. They shot the ball well, and we were able to overcome it.”

In the end, it was just too much Laue, who finished with game-high totals of 25 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots.

“At the end we were trying to double him and we just couldn’t do anything,” said Leola-Frederick senior Brayden Sumption. “The presence of him on defense, you just have to take outside shots, which is hard.”

Sumption did his best to make those outside shots, nailing five 3-pointers on the way to leading the Titans with 23 points.

His shooting performance was much to the delight of a large Leola-Frederick delegation right behind the Titans’ bench.

“It just felt like I was at the gym by myself,” Sumption said. “I was just shooting, I was just making shots, and then after a while I just realized there was a crowd there.”

Noah Kippley added 15 points to the Titans total. Ethan Petrich contributed six points and seven rebounds while going toe-to-toe with Laue in the lane.

“They’re a quick team and (Petrich) he’s a tough guy,” Laue said. “We were battling all night.”

Jamison Keszler contributed 20 points to the Castlewood ledger, while Luke Baumberger followed with a dozen.

Leola-Frederick, 22-2 on the season, plays Gregory at 1:45 this afternoon in consolation action. Expect the Titans to play their usual all-out fast-paced style.

“Just go 1-0. You’d like the opportunity to go 2-1 at the state tournament, but you got to go 1-0 first,” Pashen said. “I told them it was ice baths tonight, because we ain’t slowing down. We’re going to do what we do.”

Castlewood, which improved to 21-3, squares off against De Smet in the semifinals at 7:45 tonight. Raasch expects another battle, this time against the three-time defending State B champion.

“They’re a terrific team. Until somebody knocks them off, they’re the best in the state. Three in a row,” Raasch said. “They play so poised and they don’t make mistakes on either end, so we’re going to have to be on top of our game (Friday) night, no question about it, but we’re capable.”

LEOLA-FREDERICK (22-2): Brayden Sumption 8 2-5 23, Gavin Nickelson 2 2-2 7, Noah Kippley 7 0-2 15, Milo Sumption 0 2-2 2, Ethan Petrich 2 2-4 6, Westyn Thorpe 1 1-1 3, Winston Clark 4 0-0 9, Titus Kippley 1 0-0 3. Totals 25-64 9-16 67.

CASTLEWOOD (21-3): Lane Tvedt 3 0-0 6, Quincy Thu 1 2-7 4, Luke Baumberger 4 3-4 12, Jamison Keszler 9 1-3 20, Bryon Laue 11 3-5 25, Brody Bass 2 0-0 5. Totals 30-59 9-19 72.

Leola-Frederick 15 36 54 67

Castlewood 16 39 56 72

3-point field goals – Sumption (5), Nickelson, Kippley, Clark; Baumberger, Keszler, Bass. Fouled out – Kippley; Tvedt. Total fouls – Leola-Frederick 17; Castlewood 16. Rebounds – Leola-Frederick 39 (Kippley 7, Petrich 7, Sumption 6); Castlewood 36 (Laue 11, Thu 6, Keszler 6). Turnovers – Leola-Frederick 15; Castlewood 10. Assists – Leola-Frederick 6; Castlewood 14 (Tvedt 4, Keszler 4). Blocked Shots – Leola-Frederick 0; Castlewood 8 (Laue 4, Keszler 2). Steals – Leola-Frederick 6 (Sumption 2); Castlewood 6 (Bass 4, Tvedt 2).