Picture courtesy of Tanner Colvin

EMPORIA — If one quarter could end up defining the Sacred Heart girls’ basketball season, they saved it for the right time.

After trailing defending champion Moundridge by nine points late in the opening period and by six heading into the second, the Knights answered with an eight-minute burst for the ages Thursday on the way to a convincing 69-56 Class 2A state tournament semifinal victory at White Auditorium.

“It was an amazing quarter,” said Sacred Heart junior guard Addie Lee, who led the charge with 17 points and five 3-pointers in the period. “We were a little bit slow at the beginning, getting out all of our nerves, and then we picked up the defense and turned it into some scoring.”

Did they ever. The Knights outscored Moundridge 26-6 in the quarter with six 3-pointers while forcing seven turnovers on the way to a 37-22 halftime advantage. It never got closer than seven points the rest of the way.

With the victory, sixth-seeded Sacred Heart improved to 24-4 and is headed to the championship game against No. 1 seed Ellinwood (27-1) at 12:30 p.m. Saturday. The Knights, who are making its first state tournament appearance since 2009 also are seeking their first-ever state championship after finishing second in Class 3A in 2007 and runner-up in 2A in 2005.

“We’ve never won before, so we’re looking for that first one,” said senior Skylar Douglas, who finished with 23 points, 13 in the second half, and knocked down five 3-pointers. “I’m really excited. It feels good to be in the state championship.”

The Knights reached the finals by showing poise under pressure against a veteran Moundridge team making its 25th state tournament appearance, including eight championships. When the Wildcats opened the fourth quarter with sox six straight points to pull within seven at 50-43, Sacred Heart calmly responded with a Douglas corner three, and following a Moundridge basked tacked on six more points to regain control.

“Our coaches were really good about telling us what to do,” Douglas said. “We knew at times they were going to make runs, but we just needed to stay calm.”

“I think we figured it out. We didn’t rush when we had the ball, and we got those calls to send us to the free-throw line.”

The Knights did not have a basket in the final three minutes, but made Moundridge pay from the foul line by hitting 11 of 14 free throws over the last 2:32. Lee, who led all scorers with 27 points, made all eight of hers down that stretch and finished 10-for-10 for the game.

“We practice free throws every practice and work on those, because free throws in games,” Lee said.

Fifth-year Sacred Heart coach Carl Hines has come to expect nothing less.

“Absolutely,” he said. “Addie, Emmy (Lee) or Skylar, and I’ll take Edyn (Sharpton) and Nicole, too.

“They shoot it well.”

In addition to Lee and Douglas, Sacred Heart got eight points and seven assists from Emmy Lee, six points and seven rebounds from Richards, and a combined five points and three rebounds from posts Edyn Sharpton and Brynn Bechard.

The Knights opened the tournament Tuesday in Kansas City with a 52-42 victory over No. 3 seed St. Mary’s Colgan, followed by No. 2 Moundridge, with only top-seeded Ellinwood left.

“I told them today we’re playing with house money against the defending state champions,” Hines said. “No one picked us to do it except for the people standing and sitting here in the locker room.”

“This could be a storybook thing, because we got the three seed with one of the best guards in the state, and round two we get the defending champions, and in the championship, we get the one seed. My hat goes off to our ladies.”

The semifinal victory was Sacred Heart’s second against Moundridge after also beating the Wildcats in the championship game of the Hillsboro Trojan Classic at the end of January. Now they face an Ellinwood team also looking for its first state title in just its second trip to state after edging Eureka, 50-47, in Thursday’s other semifinal.

“Originally my goal at the beginning of the season was to make it to state,” Lee said. “Now we’re in the championship, so we’re fighting for first place.”