Highland Scotties coach Josh Borland was on his way to the locker room following his team’s 56-46 first-round defeat Wednesday at the hands of perennial Class 1A power Bellevue Christian when he saw a reporter interviewing Vikings senior Jeff Rerucha.

Bellevue Christian's David Downs looks to pass around the defense of Highland's Eric Perez during Wednesday's game in the Class 1A boys state tournament.   GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic

“Hey,” Borland called out, “what was this guy at the line?”

The answer — “He was all-for-all” — spoke volumes about why the Vikings had come away with the win.

Rerucha scored 12 fourth-quarter points, going 8-for-8 at the foul line in that span, as Bellevue Christian overcame a 38-36 deficit.

To reach that competitive edge early in the fourth period, though, the Scotties had already made two big runs — a 9-0 burst late in the second quarter that erased a 19-11 Vikings lead, then a 9-5 rally in the third quarter after falling behind 31-27.

“We expended a lot of energy making our runs,” said Borland, whose 14-10 club will face fifth-ranked Winlock (21-3) at 9 a.m. Thursday in a consolation-bracket game. “And I’d say we probably tightened up a bit at the end. (The Vikings) got two offensive rebounds that were right off our guys’ hands, went to them and they just laid it in. That was tough.”

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The Scotties also committed five turnovers in less than four minutes of the fourth quarter, helping fuel the Vikings’ fourth-quarter surge.

“We had the experience,” said Rerucha, who finished with 18 points, tying Highland’s Patrick Newman for game-high honors. “Coach always tells us to stay in our stance, have total effort. It’s just that idea that at the end of the game, you have to give your all — that’s key for every play.”

Up until its fourth-quarter stretch, though, Bellevue Christian (18-6) was not playing up to coach Mike Downs’ expectations.

“I felt like we were almost in a stupor,” Downs said. “Not alert, making uncharacteristic turnovers, definitely playing like we’re capable of playing. It was really disappointing.”

But Brandon Katz hit two 3-pointers that helped the Vikings counter Highland’s third-quarter run  — “Brandon Katz was huge,” Downs noted — and then came Aaron Iseman drew two fourth-quarter charges, each one leading to Bellevue Christian points. “Aaron Iseman is leading the state in drawing charges,” Downs said. “Those two (drawn charges) were huge.”

Joel Weise and Trent Fuller each scored 11 points for the Scotties, who — after going blow-for-blow against an every-year title contender, had to come away knowing they belonged in the tournament.

“I’m really proud of our kids,” Borland said. “They played hard. The experience factor is huge. It played a big part today, for sure.”

And Bellevue Christian, which got 12 points from David Downs and 10 from Iseman, still has its title dreams intact.

“It feels really great,” Rerucha said. “Once you win the first one, anything’s possible.”