Jacob Murphy's basket with a minute left put the Panthers up seven and everyone in the gym at Onalaska High School on Saturday night could sense they were about to witness history.

As the seconds ticked down and the Macks tried desperately to cut into the lead, the Panthers defense stayed strong and Royall earned their first-ever trip to the State tournament with a 47-42 victory.

"Our defensive intensity has really stepped up during the tournament," Royall coach Mark Gustafson said. "The zone has really made it difficult for teams to get open shots."

Royall's (20-7) defense combined with a balanced offensive attack led by senior Riley Brown's 12 points gave the McDonell Central Macks (17-10) fits throughout the game and ultimately sent the Panthers to Madison for the first time.

The Panthers were able to rebound from an early 12-5 deficit with a 9-0 run to end the first quarter. Brown scored seven of his 12 during the run to give Royall a 14-12 lead heading into the second quarter.

Freshman Sam Murphy took the scoring torch from Brown in the second quarter scoring five straight Panther points to give them a 26-23 lead with under a minute remaining in the half. Following a 4-0 Macks run, Brian Miller added a late basket to put the Panthers up 28-27 at halftime.

Royall turned up their defensive pressure even more in the third, Cory Witt and Murphy came up with a pair of big blocks and the Panthers ended the quarter with a 6-1 run to take a 36-34 lead at the end of three.

Brown scored the first five points of the fourth, including a three-point play that put the Panthers up 41-34.

The Macks responded with five straight before Jacob Murphy sandwiched a Kody Vaassen free-throw with a pair of baskets to put the Panthers back up seven with under a minute to play.

McDonell cut the lead to four, at 46-42, but Vaassen was able to secure a couple of key defensive rebounds and put in another free-throw to preserve the win for the Panthers and send the Royall faithful into a state of euphoria.

"I don't really know how to describe it, if you gave me a couple days maybe. It's just an awesome feeling," Gustafson said.

Royall was led by Brown with 12 points. Sam Murphy added nine. Witt and Jacob Murphy finished with eight points each. Vaassen added six, Matt Vieth and Miller both scored two for the Panthers.

Royall became the first Scenic Bluffs Conference team to advance to State since the conference's formation in 1980. The only other current Scenic Bluffs Conference schools to make the trip are Bangor (1936) and New Lisbon (1934 and 1935).

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