Ann Simonet wasn’t hitting her shots in the first half. But, like all good shooters, she didn’t hang her head. And when the time came, Park Center’s 5-foot-5 sophomore guard didn’t hesitate, letting fly with a pair of long three-pointers that turned out to be deadly.

Simonet’s bombs, both in the final minutes of the second half, stemmed Marshall rallies and lifted Park Center to its second consecutive Class 3A championship with a 52-45 victory.

“I told her that shooters shoot,” Park Center coach Chris Vanderhyde said. “We have confidence in her, Those ended up being the biggest shots of the game.”

Saturday’s game was a rematch of the 2014 final, which Park Center won in triple overtime. It didn’t take quite that long Saturday, but the game was almost as entertaining.

Marshall, the tournament’s No. 4 seed, found out early that the things that had worked so well in its first two games were going be difficult to accomplish against a team as quick to the ball as Park Center. Marshall had an uncharacteristic 11 turnovers in the first 18 minutes and finished with 21 for the game.

“We knew their defense was going to give us trouble,” Marshall coach Dan Westby said. “Eleven turnovers in the first half was just too many.”

With sophomore center Mikayla Hayes maneuvering inside and senior guard Hannah Schaub finding room outside, the Pirates built a first-half lead that ballooned to eight points, 23-15.

Marshall closed the gap to 27-23 at halftime, thanks to the calming influence of junior forward Marah Mulso, one of the few Tigers not flustered by Park Center’s swarming defense. Mulso had nine points and four rebounds at the break.

The second half began as a ping-pong match of momentum changes. Marshall scored the first six points. Park Center responded with a 6-2 run. Marshall’s Callie Graff countered with a three-point play. Park Center took the lead for good with six in a row, but Marshall was never out of reach.

Marshall was also on the wrong end of a pair of illegal screen calls that ended important possessions and frustrated Tigers coach Dan Westby.

“To be honest, I’m angry,” he said. “That’s not to take anything away from Park Center. That’s a great, well-coached team. But a great game that should be decided by the players.”

The Tigers got within a single possession twice, 41-39 and 46-43, but Simonet broke their hearts with daggers each time. “When I hit the first one, you could just feel the adrenaline rise,” Simonet said.

Park Center was led by Hayes, who scored 13 points. Schaub, a senior who missed the 2014 tournament with a knee injury, and Feyisayo Ayobamidele each scored 11 points. After a scoreless first half, Simonet finished with nine very big points and a team-high seven rebounds.

Ann Simonet of Park Center wasn’t hitting her shots in the first half. Good thing her confidence never wavered.

The sophomore guard drained two long three-pointers from the corner in the final minutes, fending off any chance of a rally and lifting Park Center to a 52-45 victory over Marshall in the Class 3A championship game at Williams Arena.

It took three overtimes for Park Center and Marshall to determine a winner in the 2014 Class 3A championship game. It didn’t take quite that long Saturday, but the rematch made clear that these two teams will always out on a show.

Defending champion Park Center cruised through its first two games with little concern, defeating Richfield and Kasson-Mantorville.

Despite being the No. 4 seed, Marshall looked almost unbeatable in the tournament’s first two games, routing Princeton in the quarterfinals and beating No. 1-ranked Orono in the semifinals.

Marshall found out in the first half that the things that had worked so well for them during the season were going to be difficult to accomplish.

With senior guard Sarah Buysse running the show and a slew of lengthy athletes, the Tigers have been terrific this season at breaking down defenses off the dribble. But Park Center’s quickness to the ball and active hands made the lane a jungle for the Tigers. Marshall had an uncharacteristic 11 turnovers in the first 18 minutes.

The Pirates, undersized but not lacking in confidence, found ways around Marshall’s zone defense. Sophomore center Mikayla Hayes found room to maneuver inside and, when Marshall collapsed on her, senior guard Hannah Schaub took advantage of the space on the perimeter. Park Center built a lead that ballooned to eight points, 23-15, in the latter stages of the first half.

Marshall showed better patience thereafter, putting together an 8-2 run and closing the game to four, 27-23, at halftime. Junior forward Marah Mulso, one of the few Tigers not flustered by Park Center’s swarming defense, had nine points and four rebounds at the break.

The second half was a ping-pong match of momentum changes. Marshall scored the first six points. Park Center responded with a 6-2 run. Marshall’s Callie Graff countered with a three-point play. Park Center took a lead with six in a row and held it for most of the second half, but Marshall was never out of reach.

The Tigers got to within single possession twice, 41-39 and 46-43, but Simonet broke their hearts with daggers each time.

Park Center was led by Hayes, who scored 13 points, and got 11 each from Schaub, a senior who missed the 2014 tournament with a knee injury, and Feyisayo Ayobamidele. After a scoreless first half, Simonet finished with nine very big points and a team-high seven rebounds.

Mulso paced Marshall with 15 points while Buysse and Morgan Saugstad had 10 points each.