It’s the game Park has been pointing to for at least a year, and now it’s finally here.

Second-seeded Park will take on top-seeded and seventh ranked Eastview (21-6) at Eastview Thursday, March 17, for the Section 3AAAA championship and the right to advance to state.

Eastview walloped Hastings 78-29 in the quarterfinals, then edged Rosemount 50-48 Saturday to advance.

Park (20-8) did its bit by rallying from 12 points down early in the second half to overcome a talented third-seeded Bloomington Jefferson (20-7) team by a 72-68 score in a Section 3AAAA semifinal.

Park and Eastview will meet in section play for a sixth straight season. The Lightning have won four of the last five section games, but three have been thrillers, going down to the final possessions.

Park almost didn’t get to the rematch. The Wolfpack trailed visiting Jefferson 35-29 at the break and things didn’t look good when Bloomington Jefferson scored the first six points of the second half to take a 41-29 lead. Park head coach Mike Weah called a quick time out and spoke to the hearts of the Wolfpack players. It worked. Park tightened up the defense, started hitting their shots and little by little crept back into the contest.

It was all about Park players “locking in” and being aggressive,” Weah said.

“We couldn’t keep playing as soft as we were if we were to have any hope of winning,” Weah said.

Park turned to senior forward Evan Bearth for offense and he delivered in a huge way. Held scoreless in the first half, Bearth caught lightning in a bottle in the second half, scoring all 17 of his points, including draining three three-pointers.

Junior guard OT Omot matched Bearth’s heroics for the Wolfpack, scoring 20 points and playing relentless defense in what coach Weah said was his best game of the season.

“Our energy came from the crowd,” Omot said. “And when we were down 12 we didn’t hang our heads. We started playing better defensively.”

Finally, as he’s done all season, Park star senior center Pharrel Payne led the Wolfpack. His clutch basket made it a 45-38 game with 12:21 to play. Bearth scored to cut Jefferson’s lead to 45-41 and all of a sudden Park was right back in it. Payne muscled his way in for another score to tie the game at 49-all with 9:56 to go.

Payne was usually doubled and sometimes triple-teamed by Jefferson defenders each time he got close to the basket. But with Bearth hitting from the outside and Omot scoring from everywhere it opened things up for the Wolfpack.

The rest of the game was a thriller with neither team giving an inch. Slowly but surely, however, Park started taking control. Payne scored again for a 57-54 Park lead with 4:56 remaining. The Wolfpack then went up 62-58 with 1:35 to play on a three by Bearth. Park led by six with a minute left, but Jefferson had one last gasp left and cut the score to four points before Park’s Jamari Walker scored a thunderous dunk on a breakaway to seemingly put the game away.

Park outscored the visitors 43-33 in the second half.

Payne led Park with 22 points, followed closely by Omot who scored 20 and Bearth who drained 17 points — all of them in the second half. Bearth hit a trio of three-pointers in the second half which changed the whole tenor of the game. With Bearth hitting from the outside, things opened up for Park in the lane.

Jefferson was led by sophomore guard Daniel Freitag who lived up to advanced billing with 29 points and Hayden Holland who had 20.

Last season Park advanced to the section finals – including a 55-52 win over Eastview in the semifinals — before falling at Rosemount. Park has not made the state basketball tournament since 1973.

Park 68, Apple Valley 47

Tough defense keyed second- seeded Park’s 68-47 win over visiting Apple Valley at Park Wednesday in the Section 3AAAA quarterfinals.

Park led 32-15 at the half. Seventh-seeded Apple Valley didn’t crack 20 points until about 13 minutes left in the game and Park leading 40-20. The outcome of the game no longer in doubt at that time, both teams went to their respective benches early and often to finish out the game.

“Our main goal, especially for defense, is to fly around and (play) fast pace and I really think we did that in the first half,” said senior guard Brady Perryman.

“They were locked in on that side,” head coach Mike Weah said of the Wolfpack. “We felt if we put some pressure on these guys we could try to force them into turnovers because you don’t want a team like that hanging around. They’re dangerous with their athleticism and guys who could get hot any night so we wanted to make them as uncomfortable as we could.”

In other section quarterfinals all the seeds held. Third-seeded Bloomington Jefferson (20-6) topped seventh-seeded Burnsville (3-22) 65-48, fourth-seeded Rosemount (17-10) defeated fifth-seeded Eagan (7-20) 66-53 and top-seeded Eastview (20-6) waxed eighth-seeded Hastings (5-22) 78-29.

“I think we were hustling around on defense,” said senior forward Evan Bearth. “We were getting a lot of steals, pushing it up, scoring in transition. We were really controlling the pace of the game. I think that’s something that got us a win.”

With star center Pharrel Payne in foul trouble most of the game the Wolfpack turned to its other weapons. Payne picked up his fourth foul early in the second half and spent the majority of the half on the bench.

Payne still managed to lead Park in scoring with 18 points, but the Wolfpack had lots of other offensive contributors. Jamari Walker scored 17 points, Evan Bearth 11 and OT Omot 9.

Park improved to 19-8 on the season.

Park senior forward Evan Bearth muscles his way down court against Apple Valley.Photo by John Molene

Park senior forward Jamari Walker scores against Apple Valley in a section quarterfinal game. Photo by John Molene

Park center Pharrel Payne goes up strong for two of his 22 points in the second half against Bloomington Jefferson.Photo by John Molene

Park head boys basketball coach Mike Weah is locked in as the final seconds tick away in Park’s section win over Bloomington Jefferson. Photo by John Molene