Strong interior Kasson-Mantorville defense and foul trouble limited Park Center sophomore Mikayla Hayes so she deployed a seldom-used weapon.

Hayes hit a rare three-pointer to extend the game’s definitive run. The Pirates won the semifinal game 47-37 and earned the right to defend their Class 3A title. They meet Marshall in a championship-game rematch on Saturday at Williams Arena.

“I knew if I made it, it would help the team so I’m glad I took the shot,” Hayes said.

Hayes leads No. 2 seed Park Center (24-7) in scoring, averaging 15.3 points per game mostly on post moves and short jump shots. Thursday saw her score nine points, three of them on a shot off the backboard to extend a 10-2 run. Hayes is now 6-for-19 from the three-point arc this season.

“I don’t know if she called glass on that or not but I’ve see her make that shot a lot so I have every bit of confidence,” Pirates’ coach Chris VanderHyde said.

Kasson-Mantorville (29-3) also displayed mental fortitude, playing tough despite not having a seed or point guard Cori Kennedy. The second leading scorer in program history was injured in the quarterfinals.

“My heart breaks for Cori because I know what it’s like to have a team go through that,” said VanderHyde, who lost point guard Hannah Schaub to an injury last season.

Kennedy’s teammates battled the defending champs to a draw with 7:41 to go in the game. Sophomore center Kristin Scott tied the game 32-32 with two of her game-high 19 points.

“We knew we had to keep going,” Scott said. “We never let up.”

Defending state champion Park Center held off an undermanned but spirited Kasson-Mantorville team in a 47-37 victory in the Class 3A semifinal played Thursday at Williams Arena.

The Pirates advance to play Marshall on Saturday in a title game rematch. The KoMets were without senior guard Cori Kennedy, the second-leading scorer in program history, who was injured in the quarterfinals.

Check back later for more on the game.