Viborg-Hurley finished off its season with a fourth-quarter explosion Saturday afternoon at Wachs Arena.

The Cougars scored 30 points in the final period to cap off a 72-53 win over Sully Buttes in the seventh-place game at the State B Boys’ Basketball Tournament.

“We played a lot more freely and we played like we were having fun,” said Viborg-Hurley senior Brady Schroedermeier. “When we have fun, great things happen.”

The Cougars led by just three points entering the final period and by eight at 54-46 before pulling away down the stretch, outscoring Sully Buttes 18-7 the rest of the way capped off by a monster dunk by Schroedermeier, his second slam of the game.

“My grandma just passed away, and I felt like she helped me there,” Schroedermeier said. “She helped me fly.”

A big factor in the contest was Viborg-Hurley’s dominance in rebounding. The Cougars outrebounded Sully Buttes by a 41-25 margin.

“I felt like I needed to get to the boards more,” said Schroedermeier, who grabbed 14 rebounds. “This game, they kind of let me loose and I took that and went to the boards.”

Being aggressive in the rebounding department was a point of emphasis before the Cougars took to the floor.

““The last thing on the board today was to win the glass,” said Viborg-Hurley coach Shane Warwick. “And I thought we did a really good job of that, and it was the difference.”

The contest was close early on. A Wesley Witter 3-pointer for the Chargers at the end of the first quarter tied the score at 10-10.

The Cougars scored the first five points of the second quarter and led for most of the period until Easton Moore hit back-to-back 3-pointers to put Sully Buttes in front 21-19.

“Once I got going, it felt really good,” Moore said. “Just a lot of practice and a lot of time in the gym.”

The Chargers went into halftime with a 25-23 edge in part thanks to Moore shooting 4-for-4 from deep in the half.

“He’s one of a kind,” said Sully Buttes coach Brian White of his freshman standout. “He’s going to get bigger, he’s going to get stronger in a couple of years. He’s not going to look like he does right now.”

​Coming out of the half, Viborg-Hurley went on an 11-1 run with Jake Austin scoring six points and Schroedermeier the other five to give the Cougars a 34-26 lead.

However, Sully Buttes stormed back and closed the gap to 36-33, before Braydyn Morrison hit back-to-back 3-pointers to extend the lead to nine points for Viborg-Hurley.

“It was at a huge time,” Warwick said of Morrison’s 3’s. “It was not only big for the team, but I was thrilled for him, too.”

That set the stage for a big fourth quarter as the Cougars pulled away late to secure the victory.

Austin and Schroedermeier both finished with 25 points to lead Viborg-Hurley.

The Cougars capped their season with a 21-5 record.

“There are only four teams in the state tournament that can end as a winner,” Schroedermeier said, “and we were one of them.”

It was fitting way for Viborg-Hurley to finish the year after coming into the tournament as the top-seeded team.

““I’m so proud of them, so happy for them,” Warwick said. “The pit in my stomach is that I don’t get to coach the seniors anymore. But the other part, I’m happy it happened because it was a great group to coach.”

Moore topped the Chargers with 23 points and Wittler contributed 18.

Despite not winning a game in the tournament, Moore kept things in perspective.

“We’re one of the top eight teams. It feels good,” Moore said. “One of the coolest environments I’ve ever played in … hopefully we get another chance soon.”

SULLY BUTTES (18-8): Easton Moore 7 3-4 23, Jett Yackley 1 2-2 5, Wesley Wittler 6-4-4 18, Gavin Colson 1 3-4 5, James Miles 1 0-0 2. Totals 16-51 12-14 53.

VIBORG-HURLEY (21-5): Bradyn Morrison 2 2-2 8, Brenner Gerdes 3 0-0 6, Jake Austin 6 11-11 25, Brady Schroedermeier 8 8-12 25, Lincoln Vannorsdell 2 0-0 4, Noah Werdel 0 1-2 1, Kayden Thibodeau-Lindemann 1 0-0 3. Totals 22-50 22-27 72.

Sully Buttes 10 25 36 53

Viborg-Hurley 10 23 42 72

​3-point field goals – Moore 6, Yackley, Wittler 2; Austin 2, Morrison 2, Schroedermeier, Thibodeau-Lindemann. Total fouls – Sully Buttes 23; Viborg-Hurley 18. Rebounds – Sully Buttes 25 (Wittler 6); Viborg-Hurley 41 (Schroedermeier 14). Turnovers – Sully Buttes 12; Viborg-Hurley 10. Assists – Sully Buttes 9 (Yackley 5); Viborg-Hurley 15 (Schroedermeier 4). Steals – Sully Buttes 6 (Yackley 2, Wittler 2, Miles 2); Viborg-Hurley 2 (Austin, Schroedermeier).