HURON – The defending State B champs found a way to finish off a formidable foe at the Huron Arena Saturday afternoon.

Castlewood erased a seven-point second-half deficit to edge Wessington Springs 55-53 in Region 2B boys’ basketball action.

“If you play that game 10 times, each of us wins five,” said Castlewood coach Paul Raasch. “We’re just happy that we got the ball to bounce our way.”

In a rematch of last year’s semifinal in the state tournament, the Warriors hung tough and made just enough plays down the stretch to secure the victory.

“The Warriors on the front of their jerseys really fit them today. They were warriors. We were down seven at one time in the second half. They just hung tough and made plays and made some big shots,” Raasch said. “We knew all year long we were going to run into a game like this in the region. … We just had to be tough and keep our poise, and we did that today.”

Kamden Keszler made a pair of free throws with 21.8 seconds left that gave Castlewood a one-point lead. The junior had missed three straight foul shots before calming nailing his final two.

“I was so long on my free throws that I backed up,” Keszler said. “Usually I cash in practice, but the pressure really gets to me, but those two I just calmed down, took a timeout and just knocked them down.”

After Castlewood blocked a Spartans attempt, Brody Bass was fouled and made 1-of-2 free throws. Wessington Springs had one final shot left, but a 3-point attempt was long.

“Hustling and defense: that’s what won us the game,” Keszler said. “We had to hustle more, rebounding was huge, they got a lot of o-boards, but hustling, rebounding and defending at the end of the day.”

The Spartans led 40-33 with 2:26 left in the third quarter, but were unable to maintain their lead.

“They’re huge and they’re athletic, and they can score the ball from numerous ways,” said Wessington Springs coach Joey Mitchell of the Warriors, who were the top-rated team in the final Class B poll. “So, we knew we had a battle in front of us.”

Bass had a big day on offense, making his first four shots, on the way to 14 points. One his shots was a drive to the basket that he put in from a difficult angle.

“It was kind of momentum, how the game was going for me,” Bass said. “I made a few shots right away so I was feeling myself a little bit. I knew I got the chance, I might as well take it.”

He later added another basket on a highly-contested foul line jumper.

Castlewood led 20-12 in the second quarter, but like the Spartans in the second half, was unable to stay in control.

“I thought my kids actually responded well,” Mitchell said. “We kind of slumped there in the second quarter, but overall we did a really nice job.”

Parker Graff had 15 points at the half, but managed just five in the second half thanks to an emphasis on defense by the Warriors.

“He’s a great player. I looked up at the board and he had 18 of their 33,” Raasch said. “We called time out and we said we can’t let Graff beat us, guys. We can’t lose him the rest of the game.”

Colby Flowers added 18 points for the Spartans, 14 in the second half, and Logan Mebius contributed 12.

Keszler finished with 18 points for Castlewood, half coming in the final quarter.

“I told myself I had to take over,” Keszler said. “If I think about it, I’m going to do it.”

Will Aderhold contributed 13 points for the Warriors, who are now one game away from returning to the state tournament to try and defend their title.

“One game at a time,” Bass said. “However it plays out, it plays out, but I believe in this team for everything it’s got.”

Castlewood, 19-3, will face Timber Lake in the SoDak 16 on Tuesday in Miller.

“Tuesday night I think we’ll be ready to go,” Raasch said. “Our guys want to get back.”

WESSINGTON SPRINGS (17-5): Logan Mebius 5 0-0 12, Parker Graff 8 0-0 20, Luke Larson 1 1-1 3, Colby Flowers 6 6-8 18, Grady Gran 0 0-2 0. Totals 20-46 7-11 53.

CASTLEWOOD (19-3): Kamden Keszler 6 4-9 18, Brody Bass 5 1-2 14, Tyson Manley 0 2-2 2, Leonard Wernke 3 0-1 6, Will Aderhold 5 0-0 13, Trevor Everson 1 0-0 2. Totals 20-45 7-14 55.

Wessington Springs 12 24 40 53

Castlewood 18 26 38 55

3-point field goals – Mebius 2, Graff 4; Keszler 2, Bass 3, Aderhold 3. Fouled out – Gran. Totals fouls – Wessington Springs 16; Castlewood 16. Rebounds – Wessington Springs 28 (Mebius 6, Gran 6, Flowers 5); Castlewood 22 (Bass 8). Turnovers – Wessington Springs 12; Castlewood 8. Assists – Wessington Springs 6 (Mebius 2); Castlewood 7 (Keszler 2, Bass 2). Blocked shots – Wessington Springs 0; Castlewood 6 (Aderhold 3, Wernke 2). Steals – Wessington Springs 2; Castlewood 7 (Keszler 2, Wernke 2, Everson 2).