Rocori came out hot, attacking the Otters with success from the 3-point line as they built a 31-19 lead.  A 16-5 run by the home team to end the first half brought them to within one point, 36-35, at halftime.  Fergus Falls was able to get the lead and take a 10 point advantage late in the game, however, the Spartans fought back with an and-one and a 3-point field goal cutting the lead to 4 points with just over a minute to go in the game.

The Otters turned the ball over when they were leading 65-63, but Bethel blocked the shot.  King tracked down the rebound and threw the long pass to Hirst for a hoop that made it 67-63.  Jack Boos then connected on a 3-pointer to trim the lead to a single point at 67-66 with just over 8 seconds on the clock.  The Spartans immediately fouled on the in-bounds pass, putting Bethel on the line for the one-and-one.  Henry made the first foul shot to make it a 68-66 game, but he missed the second, giving Rocori hope.  The Spartans appeared to have an open 3-point look, but thanks to Bethel’s all-out hustle and athleticism, he was able to get to the shooter and swat the shot out of bounds.  That left 1.8 seconds for the Spartans to try for the miracle game winning shot, but it wasn’t to be.

Boos led Rocori with 22 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists.  TJ Starkey added 14 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists.

The Otters won the battle of the boards, 44-31.  There were 11 lead changes in the game and two ties.  Rocori took excellent care of the ball with only 8 turnovers, while the Otters turned it over 14 times.

Fergus Falls (14-13) will now face top-seeded Alexandria on Friday night at 7:00pm on the Cardinals home floor.  Alexandria won their quarterfinal round contest Tuesday, 86-33 over Willmar, improving their season record to 22-5.