[ t o u r n e y t o w n . c o m -- 2009 Class 1A girls state tournament ]

Freeman -- Poirier 1-7 2-3 4, Baker 1-11 0-0 2, Taylor 0-6 2-4 2, Maine 1-2 0-0 3, Heinen 4-22 2-2 12, Ruland 1-3 0-0 2, McIntyre 8-12 0-0 16, Bauer 0-0 1-2 1, Romey 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 16-64 7-11 42.

Seattle Christian -- K. Collier 4-6 0-0 8, Kassebaum 0-0 0-0 0, Jansen 0-1 0-0 0, Mel. Collier 3-7 0-1 7, Abe 0-4 2-2 2, Meg. Collier 4-10 0-0 9, Kogle 4-10 2-2 14, ZeBarth 0-0 0-2 0, Peterson 1-6 1-2 3. Totals 16-44 5-9 43.

Freeman

Seattle Christian

3-point goals--F 3-20 (Heinen 2-8, Maine 1-1, Ruland 0-1, Poirier 0-3, Baker 0-7), SC 6-14 (Kogle 4-8, Meg. Collier 1-2, Mel. Collier 1-1, Peterson 0-3). Rebounds--F 54 (Taylor 13, McIntyre 10), SC 29 (K. Collier 5, Mel. Collier 5, Abe 5). Assists--F 8 (Taylor 3), SC 10 (Peterson 5). Steals--F 8 (McIntyre 2, Taylor 2, Baker 2), SC 5. Blocked shots--F 1, SC 5 (Peterson 3). Fouled out--None. Total fouls--F 16, SC 9. Technical fouls--None. Turnovers--F 13, SC 14.

Want a sophomore on the foul line with no time left in a tie game and a spot in the state championship on the line?

Seattle Christian girls coach Bob Kickner has no problem with it, as long as the sophomore is Lexi Peterson.

“Lexi is our league MVP and our go-to player,” Kickner said with equal parts of confidence and relief. “She is trained for moments like that.”

It showed as Peterson calmly buried a free throw with no time left, lifting the Warriors to a 43-42 victory over Freeman in Friday’s semifinals of the Class 1A state tournament.

With no time left was a breeze for Peterson, with 26 seconds left was another matter as she missed the front end of a one-and-one. Redemption was as sweet as can be.

“I thought about that miss, yes, and I knew I had to focus harder and do it for my team,” Peterson said. “That miss really bothered me because we needed it. I’m so glad I got another chance.”

What put Peterson on the line was a real heartbreaker for previously unbeaten Freeman.

Carley Heinen nailed a 10-footer with four seconds to go to pull the Scotties into a 42-42 tie, but Heinen evidently thought Freeman was still trailing because she fouled Peterson immediately on the inbound pass.

“It was a great, great game and you hate to see it end like that,” Kickner said. “When I saw it was Lexi, I felt good about it even though she had just missed a free throw. She’s had at least two game-winning shots this season.”

SC’s Megan Collier hit back-to-back 3-pointers to open the fourth quarter and Kara Kogle added another trey a minute later for a 36-31 lead.

But Heinen and Megan McIntyre kept Freeman close, combining for all 13 of the Scotties’ fourth-quarter points. McIntyre made 8 of 12 shots for a game-high 16 points and pulled down 10 rebounds.

Kogle, a junior guard, paced Seattle Christian with 14 points.

In a pairing of first-time finalists, the Warriors (25-1) will play Granger (22-4) in Saturday’s championship at 7 p.m.

“They have fantastic execution and are extremely well-coached,” Kickner said. “We’re just thrilled to be a part of it.”