Marshall’s Sarah Buysse walked to the free-throw line late in Thursday’s tight game, steeling herself for two big shots.

“I was thinking, ‘I’ve done this a million times. Just do what you normally do,’ ” Buysse said.

Swish, swish. Her baskets helped the No. 4 seed Tigers complete a 55-48 upset victory of No. 1 seed Orono in the Class 3A semifinal at Williams Arena. With the victory, Marshall returns to the title game after taking second last season.

The experience gained from last season’s run made a huge difference against wide-eyed Orono. Marshall, shooting and rebounding with a purpose, jumped to a 35-20 halftime lead.

“We gave it away in the first 10 minutes,” Spartans coach Ellen Wiese said. “They’re too good of a team to let them get that big of a lead.”

In their locker room underneath the arena, Marshall (29-2) players were not fooled by their large halftime lead.

“We knew we had to keep strong and keep pushing,” said Buysse, who led the Tigers with 13 points.

Responding to Wiese’s pleas for better defense, the Spartans opened the second half on a 14-2 run and cut Marshall’s advantage to 37-34.

“In the second half, everything we did was too easy,” Marshall coach Dan Westby said.

Orono (29-2), meanwhile, surged.

“I thought we played an outstanding second half,” Wiese said.

Its lead down to three points, Marshall recovered and never again allowed Orono to make it a one-possession game.

“I thought we had what it took to get back in it,” Wiese said. “But it was too big of a hole against too good of a team.”

Marshall withstood a furious second-half rally by No. 1 seed Orono but held on for a 55-48 victory in the Class 3A semifinals played Thursday at Williams Arena.

The No. 4 seed Tigers, runners-up last March, advance to Saturday’s championship game. They await the winner of defending champion Park Center and Kasson-Mantorville.

Check back later for more on the game.