Jensen calmly went to the line and made both free throws, giving the Panthers a 68-66 overtime victory.

“Free throws? That’s what you practice all the time at the end of a workout. I had confidence in myself,” Jensen said. “Don’t get me wrong, it was nerve-wracking, especially because I had time to think.”

Maple Grove coach Mark Cook had no issue with the call despite its unfortunate timing.

“I thought the officials called a really good game,” he said. “That one call wasn’t a make-or-break situation. It was everything that led up to that.”

The frenetic final seconds capped a wildly entertaining game in which Maple Grove rallied from a five-point deficit in regulation, taking a two-point lead in the final seconds before Jensen hit a runner that sent the game to overtime.

The Crimson scored six consecutive points in the extra session, taking a 66-62 lead, before Lakeville North battled back on a jumper by Jensen and a clutch putback by Taylor Brown that tied the game 66-66.

Jensen finished with a game-high 31 points. Autumn Mlinar had 19 to lead Maple Grove.

Jensen’s clutch shots provided a little salve for Lakeville North, which still had some lingering wounds from the 2017 state tournament. The lack of a call in the final seconds of a game may have cost the Panthers a state semifinals victory over eventual champion Elk River.

“The way our season ended last year was in the back of our minds at the start of the season,” Lakeville North coach Shelly Soule said. “This is a brand new team, but in the down moments, I could see in some of their faces, [last year] was creeping into their minds. Our girls kept plugging away and we got lucky.”