Ara-Borup yielded 32 points per game this season, while Maranatha scored over 87 points per game. Something had to give.

In fast-paced game played at Maranatha's pace, Ara-Borup held their ground.

Ada-Borup beat the Mustangs at their own game and capped off a perfect season with a 82-65 victory the Class 1A championship Saturday at Williams Arena. The Cougars finished 32-0 and won their first title since 2009.

"It was definitely a run-and gun-affair," said Cougars head coach David Smart. "We didn't know if that was going to bode well for us because they can definitely can get up and down in transition."

It turns out an up-and-down style suited the Cougars just fine.

"They were able to move the ball through our traps," Mustangs head coach Chris Buerman said. "They were able to move it faster than we were rotating and they found easy looks."

The Cougars pounded Mustangs on the interior, outscoring them 48-16 in the paint and out-rebounding them 53-37. Three different Cougars-- Elizabeth Birkemeyer (20 points, 10 rebounds), Lexi Merkens (17 points, 11 rebounds), and Haley Poehler (10 points, 18 rebounds) --recorded double-doubles. 

"We knew we couldn't give them second shots," said Poehler.

Ada-Borup set the tone early with crisp ball movement leading into high percentage chances. The Cougars shot 19-of-33 in the first half, with 34 of their 40 points coming from the paint.

The Cougars pushed the lead to 19 points after a lay-up from Morgan Miller with just under six minutes to play in the first half. But senior Lexi Lee kept the Mustangs in the game with 17 first half points and pulled the deficit to ten at halftime.

But the Mustangs never found the spark to mount a comeback in the second half. The ten-point halftime deficit is as close as the game would get. 

"Our shots just weren't falling," said Lee, who finished with 32 points. 

The Cougars flustered the Mustangs into shooting 29 percent from the field.

"We've had some unbelievable teams," said Smart. "None of them have been able to go undefeated. That's one thing this group can always hang their hat on."

Ada-Borup capped a perfect season with a 82-65 victory over Maranatha in the Class 1A championship Saturday at Williams Arena.

The Cougars finished the season 32-0. This is their first title since 2012. Forward Miki Lee led the Cougars with 23 points and Elizabeth Birkemeyer added 20.

Ada-Borup set the tone early with their ball movement and physical play. The Cougars shot 19-of-33 in the first half, doing much of their damage with high percentage shots in the paint.

The Cougars pushed the lead to 19 points after a lay-up from Morgan Miller with five minutes, 58 seconds left in the first half. But senior Lexi Lee kept the Mustangs in the game with 17 first half points.

Check back later for more on the game.