The third time's the charm.
The Alexandria girls' basketball team will return to the state tournament after handing the Fergus Falls Otters a 46-40 loss Friday night at St. John's University in the Section 8AAA championship.
The Cardinals had lost to the Otters twice during regular season play, but saved their best for last, relying on their free throw shooting and defense down the stretch to pick up the win.
Alexandria trailed at the half 22-20 and played head-to-head basketball throughout the second half.
With the Cardinals leading 43-40 with 20 seconds remaining, Sam Trumm went to the line, hitting both free throws to give Alexandria a two possession lead. Cara Wood then hit one of her two free throws with 2.9 seconds remaining, making the final score 46-40.
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In all, the Cardinals hit 15 of their 25 free throw attempts, including 11 of 15 in the second half.
Lauren Trumm led the scorers with 16 points, including 12 in the second half, and Sam Trumm added 10.
