Although Maple Grove held the lead for the entire second half, Crimson coach Mark Cook only half-jokingly said he didn’t feel in control until the last two seconds. But the sixth-ranked Crimson held on and powered through a sluggish start.

“We weren’t about to lose,” said guard Ellen Edison, who had 12 points, 10 of them in the second half.

But they had to work for it. Each time it looked as though the Crimson would pull away, Centennial was there with a big shot.

“They have a really good shooting team,” Cook said of the Cougars, who had eight three-pointers in the game. “You never feel safe with a lead against Centennial, because they can score nine points just like that.”

But Maple Grove “weathered the storm,” as Cook put it, moving the ball well, showing solid defense and playing a well-rounded game to send the team to the sectional finals.

“I’ve never seen a team love basketball as much as this team does,” Edison said. “We’re just really excited, and now pumped up to play Osseo, our arch rival. It’ll be a high-intensity game.”