In a fourth quarter where most of the scoring came from the free-throw line, the Sahuaro Cougars made the most of their attempts as they were able to outlast Shadow Mountain 64-59 in a 4A semifinal state matchup Wednesday.

It was an alarmingly slow start for Cougars as they failed to score a field goal in the first quarter and quickly found themselves down 12-3 in a quarter that was highlighted by Shadow Mountain captain and senior Dyamond Butler-Worley, who scored nine points.

Sahuaro began to find its rhythm in the second quarter and junior Alyssa Brown established her presence with nine points of her own as the Cougars cut the Matador lead to 21-20.

Fifteen first-half turnovers for Sahuaro helped keep the lead in favor of Shadow Mountain as the Matadors took a 28-22 lead into halftime.

The third quarter was filled with runs by both teams as Shadow Mountain was able to build a 10-point lead at 46-36, but Sahuaro responded with a 7-0 run to end the third as the Matador lead was just three heading into the fourth.

The Cougars grabbed their first lead of the game just under a minute into the fourth quarter on a fast break layup by senior guard Hayli Kubly to take a 47-46 advantage.

The lead would switch hands four times until Brown hit two free throws to put Sahuaro up 54-52, and from then on the Cougars wouldn’t relinquish.

The Matadors were able to cut the lead to one multiple times throughout the remaining three minutes, but missed free throws down the stretch kept Shadow Mountain from closing the deficit.

On the flip side, Sahuaro shot 14 free throws in the final quarter and made 13 of them, including 8-for-8 in the final two minutes by three different Cougars - senior forward Messiah Amon-Ra (2-for-2), junior guard Alyssa Franke (2-for-2) and Brown (4-for-4).

Yet with under 30 seconds left, the Matadors still had hope as they trailed by three. That soon faded on a missed three-pointer by senior Arianna Arvallo.

A rebound by Brown, who would ultimately be fouled and make both free throws, put it out of reach as Shadow Mountain ran out of time and the Cougars began to celebrate as winners of a 64-59 semifinal.

“It was energy,” Brown said. “Picking each other up, that was the most important part. Not putting each other down and picking up the communication.”

Something that hasn’t been done in a long time.

“I got to be with the ’92 state championship team at Sahuaro as an assistant coach,” head coach Steve Botkin said. “And I’ve always dreamed of going back.”

Brown led the scoring for Sahuaro with 29 points and Franke contributed 18 of her own. For the Matadors, senior captain point guard Senya Rabouin led the squad with 18 points as Butler-Worley chipped in 16.

“This just feels really good,” Botkin said. “The girls have worked so hard for this, starting with the summer and all the way through. And I’m just so proud of them...so proud.”

The Cougars now find themselves in the 4A state championship game, as the biggest test will await them in top-ranked Seton Catholic Prep. The Sentinels emphatically punched their ticket to the big game with a 67-26 win over Flagstaff.

The championship game is set for Saturday at 10 a.m. at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum and will be available for live webcast via NFHS Network.