As the court-length pass was in flight, fans at Williams Arena waited in anticipation to see who would come down with the ball. 

Would it be Mankato East, which was nursing a two-point lead with 2.9 seconds left in the Class AAA semifinal matchup with Orono? Or would the Spartans intercept and create one last-ditch effort to complete what earlier looked like an improbable comeback?

In perhaps the biggest, longest basketball pass of his life, Mankato East senior Ganden Gosch hit junior teammate Amari Nobles in stride as the Cougars finally drained the clock to zero to preserve a 64-62 victory on Thursday, March 20. 

That crucial pass connection completed a dramatic second half when Orono (23-8), the No. 4 seed, rallied from an 11-point deficit to actually take the lead momentarily. Mankato East head coach Joe Madson, meanwhile, had to skillfully manage the Cougars down the stretch as one player fouled out and four others were assessed four fouls each in the physical, foul-filled game.

Nobles scored what would be the final basket of the game on a powerful layup with 1:25 remaining in regulation. That snapped a 62-all tie and was enough to hold up and send the top-seeded Cougars (29-1) to the Class AAA championship game for the second consecutive season. After a runner-up finish as season ago, the Cougars, on a 28-game winning streak, are looking for their first state championship. 

Orono senior Nolan Groves, who would finish with 31 points, had a chance to tie the score with 2.9 seconds remaining and the Spartans trailing by two. After he missed the first free throw, the Spartans called time out. He purposely missed the second free throw by whipping the ball off the backboard in hopes Orono would snare a rebound. Instead, the ball was blown dead because it didn’t hit the rim and possession was awarded to Mankato East. 

Junior guard Lucas Gustafson added 15 points while senior guard Brogan Madson contributed 12 points and nine assists.