Annandale survived Friday with an 81-76 semifinal victory over Caledonia, but for a second consecutive game in the Class 2A boys' basketball tournament, the top-seeded Cardinals made sure there was plenty of drama at Target Center.
Two nights after a grueling victory over New London-Spicer, Annandale flexed its offensive muscle early in building a 13-point halftime lead.
Then the Cardinals struggled to close.
Caledonia cut the lead to three points with 3 minutes, 48 seconds remaining and was within striking distance the rest of the way.
But Annandale made its free throws, and hot-shooting Caledonia cooled off. In the end, the Cardinals did just enough to advance to their first-ever state title game.
"We've been in a lot of positions like that this year," junior guard Chase Knickerbocker said. "We played in a tough conference. … We're used to battling, and that really prepared us."
Knickerbocker scored 24 points — 17 before halftime — and senior Matt Miller added 21.
Junior Kyle Sorenson scored 24 points to lead Caledonia, which shot only 6-for-29 on three-pointers. The Warriors made 14 from behind the arc in their 20-point victory Wednesday over St. Paul Academy.