This is what postseason basketball is all about.

An intense battle down to the final minute in front of a large and loud crowd inside a legendary facility.

Aberdeen Christian scored nine unanswered points to rally for a hard-fought 61-56 win over Warner during Region 1B boys’ basketball action at the Civic Arena Friday night.

The Knights, who overcame major foul trouble, trailed 56-52 with four minutes remaining before holding the Monarchs scoreless the rest of the way. Christian’s length came up big when it mattered most with three crucial steals to help secure the win.

“We did everything that will make you lose a basketball game and we somehow pulled it out,” said Christian’s Brooks Jett, who made one big play after another with the season on the line.

The all-state junior nailed a big 3-pointer with the Knights down four in the final period, converted a three-point play to put Christian up 57-56 with 46 seconds left, and then stole a pass to thwart a key Warner possession.

Jett converted a picture-perfect pass from Dylan Hofer on the break to give the Knights their first lead since late in the third quarter.

“I was running up the court. I initially wanted it right away, but then I saw Dylan … He hit me with a beautiful pass,” Jett said. “I would not have made that if it wasn’t for a perfect bread-basket pass. It was just a layup from there.”

Meanwhile, the Monarchs were coming up empty on the offensive end, missing three shots and turning the ball over three times.

“Anytime you get in tough situations like that, just didn’t execute late,” said Warner coach Derek Hoellein.

Christian made a late defensive switch that paid major dividends, putting reserve Loyall Smith-Wade on Warner’s lightning-quick point guard Jesiah Baum. Smith-Wade not only prevented Baum from getting into the lane like had all evening, he also forced two turnovers to help the Knights grab the momentum.

“I thought Loyall changed the game,” said Christian coach Matt Rohrbach. “He really did.”

Smith-Wade said his defensive philosophy is to “stay low to the ground and try to go for steals.”

The freshman not only can get low, he can also jump high and has quick feet.

“You’ve got to give that kid credit. He’s long, he’s athletic and got some big steals late,” Hoellein said. “We had get the ball to the high post against that zone. They were extended with the guards and we didn’t do a good enough job to penetrate the middle of the zone. It was wide open and we didn’t take advantage of that.”

Baum, who had been a thorn in Christian’s side throughout the game, had a difficult time getting past Smith-Wade in the final minutes.

“Coming down late, we just got to be ready for that. We couldn’t execute through that,” Baum said. “I had a turnover there against Loyall Smith-Wade. He’s a good ball player, they’re all good ball players. You’ve got to give the respect to them.”

Respect went both ways following the toe-to-toe clash.

“A lot of respect for how well they played,” Rohrbach said of the Monarchs. “That was incredible. They’re a good basketball team.”

While Rohrbach said everybody played a key role in the victory, clearly Smith-Wade found himself in the spotlight with the game on the line.

“It’s a luxury to have a guy, a Ferrari, sitting on the bench, like Loyall,” Rohrbach said.

Smith-Wade said the main focus was just on getting a victory.

“We just want to win,” Smith-Wade said. “We just gotta play hard, that’s the mindset.”

While Smith-Wade scored just three points in the contest, he was clearly instrumental in the outcome.

“Game ball goes to him. His ankle is really bad,” Jett said. “He came in and did what he’s supposed to do, got a few steals. I’m proud of the freshman.”

Brennan Wolf-Donat led the Monarchs with 18 points. Baum, an all-state football player, scored 10 points and repeatedly found open teammates for high-percentage shots.

“Season’s on the line. I try to compete all year long, but this is where it really matters so I had to dig deep,” Baum said. “I just use my athletic ability no matter what sport it is. I want to come out here and play for my team, lead my team.”

Baum, who will play football at Northern State next fall, enjoyed playing in the electric atmosphere in his final prep basketball game.

“It’s so fun. That is one thing I’m going to miss about high school basketball, playing in front of your home town, especially games like this,” Baum said. “Everyone’s coming to watch.”

The Monarchs finished the season with a 15-7 record and one its best performances of the year.

“Just proud of our guys. You come in here big underdogs. Nobody was giving us a chance tonight and our kids really stepped up,” Hoellein said. “We’re trying to put Warner basketball back on the map.”

Jett finished with a game-high 26 points to go along with eight rebounds. Luke Kaiser contributed 13 points, and Dylan Hofer added nine. All three players were saddled with four fouls in the final quarter.

“That’s unfortunate with foul trouble early,” Jett said. “We tried to still play aggressive. It goes to show that anything can happen.”

Christian, 19-3, will wait to see who it will face during the SoDak 16 on Tuesday. Pairings will be announced later today with the completion of games that were postponed Friday night.

The Knights know it will be a quality opponent and that each round of the postseason gets tougher.

“They know what this is,” Rohrbach said of the playoff journey. “It’s not going to be easy. There’s going to be energy on the other side.”

WARNER (15-7): Braydon Kroll 2 0-2 5, Jesiah Baum 3 4-6 10, Alec Mikkelsen 2 1-1 6, Brennan Wolf-Donat 4 7-8 18, Noah Bakeberg 3 0-0 6, Lincoln Kroll 3 3-3 9, Gage Knuppe 0 2-4 2. Totals 17-41 17-24 56.

ABERDEEN CHRISTIAN (19-3): Jett Johnson 2 0-0 6, Dylan Hofer 3 3-6 9, Grady Jett 2 0-0 4, Luke Kaiser 4 2-2 13, Brooks Jett 9 5-5 26, Loyall Smith-Wade 1 1-3 3. Totals 21-51 11-16 61.

Warner 13 33 48 56

Aberdeen Christian 21 32 44 61

3-point field goals – B. Kroll, Mikkelsen, Wolf-Donat 3; Johnson 2, Kaiser 3, B. Jett 3. Fouled out – Baum. Total fouls – Warner 17; Aberdeen Christian 20. Rebounds – Warner 34 (Wolf-Donat 8, Baum 7); Aberdeen Christian 24 (B. Jett 8). Turnovers – Warner 13; Aberdeen Christian 5.