Westside senior Sam Wilkinson was one of two from the line for his only point of the game through 31 minutes and 59 seconds of basketball. But in the final second, Wilkinson tripled his point total and sent the state tournament semi-final game against Omaha Benson to overtime.

Down by two, 54-52, with 2.7 seconds remaining, Westside had the ball, inbounding it from the baseline after a Benson score. The inbound pass was a three-quarters court heave towards senior Michael Herrmann. The ball sailed over Herrmann. Wilkinson crashed towards the ball, corralling it under the basket.

He went up for a shot. And missed. But the referees whistled a foul.

With .9 seconds remaining, Wilkinson hit one. Then two. The Warriors student section erupted, and the game went to overtime tied 54-54.

In overtime, Benson won the tip before making two free throws. Westside senior Mike Kiger, who led the team with 21 points on the night, missed a three-point shot before Herrmann picked up an offensive board, going back up for a shot while getting fouled with 3:04 remaining in overtime. He hit both, tying the game 56-56.

Then, Benson attempted and missed a three-pointer after Wilkinson poked the ball away from Benson’s Khryi Thomas out to the three-point line. Kiger came back the other way, and hit a layup while being fouled with 2:21 remaining. Kiger missed the free throw, leaving the score at 58-56.

Benson’s Thik Bol missed two free throws before Westside and Benson traded missed baskets. Then Wilkinson struck again, collecting an offensive rebound off of a Kiger missed shot, making a put-back shot with 1:11 remaining. Westside got the ball again, and senior Kevin Metoyer hit two free throws. Benson missed again, and Metoyer hit one of two free throws.

After another Benson miss, Herrmann, who made 16 of 17 free throws in the game on his way to 20 points, hit two more free throws for the Warriors with 16.7 seconds remaining. Benson’s Thomas hit a three before Herrmann made two of two from the free throw line once again, making the score 67-61 with 7.3 seconds remaining. Benson got off one more shot, a layup, before the clock wound down and the Warriors took the win.

To get to overtime, the two teams went toe-to-toe, with the biggest lead coming from a Benson seven-point lead, 26-19, with 3:20 remaining in the second quarter. The lead came from a Benson 15-4 run after the Warriors got ahead 15-11 at the end of the first quarter, where they shot three of five from the three-point line.

The Warriors battled back from the seven-point deficit to send the game to the second half with Benson leading 27-24. In the first half, Herrmann was the only Warrior to shoot a free throw (he was five of six in the first half). The Warriors hit no three-pointers in the second quarter, finishing three of eight for the half.

In the second half, the Warriors took back the lead when Herrmann found Kiger in the post for an open layup, putting the Warriors up 35-33 with 4:40 remaining in the third quarter. Westside extended its lead to three, 37-34, with 3:19 remaining in the third quarter when Westside moved into the bonus, as Benson had committed seven fouls to the Warriors three, and Herrmann sunk two free throws.

In the fourth quarter, the Warriors led by as much as eight, going up 50-42 with 3:17 remaining in the game. Then Benson went on a 12-2 run, going ahead 54-52. That’s when Wilkinson hit free throws to save the game.

Westside finished 29 of 37 from the free throw line. Metoyer, who scored no points in the first half, finished with 10. Senior Jake Meyers, who fouled out with 1:21 remaining in regulation, finished with six. Wilkinson and senior Brock Nemecek finished with five points apiece.

Benson was led by Thomas, who caused fits for the Warriors all night. He scored nearly at will, making shot after shot, finishing with a game-high 28 points. Benson’s length on defense also caused problems for the Warriors, as Benson came up with numerous blocks, some in the post and some at the three-point line. But the Benson athleticism wasn’t enough, and Westside is headed to the state championship game against the winner of Norfolk and Bellevue West.

The game is at the Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln at 6:30 p.m. The theme for the game is whiteout. Westside Wired will have live updates of the game, so make sure to follow us @westsidewired on Twitter and @westsidewired on Instagram.