RICE LAKE -- The third time was the charm for the Northwestern High School boys basketball team.
After falling to the Ladysmith Lumberjacks twice in the regular season, the Tiger boys upset the No. 1 seed in a WIAA Division 3 regional final game Saturday, 62-58.
Northwestern (20-5) now plays Unity (18-6) in a sectional semifinal game at 7 p.m. Thursday in Spooner. Unity defeated Osceola 53-47 Saturday to advance.
The winner of Thursday's game will play at Somerset at 1 p.m. March 12 for a chance to go to Madison.
The Lumberjacks began Saturday's game with six unanswered points and built a seven-point lead after one quarter, but Northwestern limited Ladysmith to a combined 10 points over the next two quarters to go up 40-28.
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The fourth quarter was a shoot-out, as Ladysmith more than doubled its score and the Tigers added 22 points to their total. The teams combined to shoot 31 free throws in the final eight minutes, including a stretch from 2:40 to 1:34 when Northwestern went 8-for-8 at the line to take a 61-50 lead.
The Lumberjacks responded with eight points in just over a minute to cut Northwestern's lead to three. Dee Burse then sunk 1-of-2 free throws to make it a two-possession game with 22 seconds to play, and time expired with the Tigers up 62-58.
For both teams, fouls were a significant factor. Northwestern's leading scorer in the regular season, Tyler Forsythe, fouled out three minutes into the fourth quarter, and the Tigers' leading scorer for the game, Ryan Santikko, picked up his fifth personal with 1:14 left to play.
Ladysmith took a hit when Ryley Closs fouled out nine seconds after Forsythe, and Brent Sisko joined his teammate on the bench with 2:19 to play. Sisko had four 3-pointers in Saturday's game and led the Lumberjacks in scoring with 15 points. Eric Effertz and Todd Sarauer added 13 apiece.
Santikko and Justin Alexson both had 14 points for the Tigers, and Forsythe added 11.
Ladysmith 18 3 7 30 -- 58
Northwestern 11 12 17 22 -- 62
Ladysmith -- Brent Sisko 15, Eric Effertz 13, Todd Sarauer 13, Ryley Closs 6, Ryan Jansen 2, Liridon Sabani 6, Zachary Mulholland 3.
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3-point goals -- Sisko 4, Sarauer, Effertz.
Northwestern -- Justin Alexson 14, Ryan Santikko 14, Tyler Forsythe 11, Kendall Abrahamzon 8, Dee Burse 7, Sam Williams 8.
3-point goals -- Alexson 2, Forsythe.
