The Associated Press

Schueth scored 13 points and Tiffany and Haley Thramer added 11 apiece. But it was one free throw from Stanton with 13 seconds left that was the difference as Ewing (23-3) defended its Class D2 title with a 45-44 win over Pleasanton on Saturday night.

"This was nerve-racking. That free throw really scared me," said Stanton, a sophomore. "I just knew I had to get the job done."

Ewing used eight points from Schueth and another six from Haley Thramer to overcome an early 6-2 hole and spark a 17-2 run that put the Tigers on top 19-8 midway through the second quarter.

But Ashley Axmann made four free throws late in the second half to pull the Bulldogs to 19-17.

From then on, every time Ewing pulled away, Pleasanton found a way to come back.

Tiffany Thramer scored nine of her 11 points in the final period and Haley Thramer added a pair of free throws with 23 seconds left to play to offset 19 total points and 12 rebounds from Axmann and give Ewing a 44-41 lead.

A short time later, Stanton toed the free throw line and delivered on the front end of a one-and-one. Her only point of the game would prove to be the difference when Bulldog Cortni Shoemaker hit a 3-pointer with five seconds left.

Pleasanton, out of timeouts, couldn't stop the clock, and Ewing dribbed it out to secure the victory.

"They never gave up," Pleasanton coach Brenda Paitz said. "I know the girls don't think they're going to enjoy this, but they will."

Shoemaker finished with 10 points for the Bulldogs.

* CLASS B

South Sioux City 53, Alliance 48

LINCOLN At least for South Sioux City, the order has been restored in Class B girls basketball.

South Sioux City won its 11th state title since 1995 by beating defending champion Alliance, ending the Bulldogs' 47-game winning streak.

"We're back on top like all the girls before us," the Cardinals' McKayla Knudson said. "Hopefully we keep it this way for a couple of years."

South Sioux City (24-1) won 10 championships and was runner-up once between 1995 and 2005 before failing to advance to the championship round in 2006 and failing to qualify for the tournament last year.

The Cardinals' record 11th title was in jeopardy in the late going against Alliance. The Bulldogs came back from double-digit deficits in the third quarter to tie it 48-all with under a minute left on a Jasmine Clarke jump shot.

Knudson's free throw with 38 seconds left gave South Sioux City a one-point lead. Alliance committed a turnover trying to inbound the ball. Knudson and Kodi Fischer made four free throws to put the game away.

* CLASS C-1

Norfolk Catholic 52, Neumann 50

LINCOLN Norfolk Catholic came back from a 15-point deficit in the Class C-1 final to beat Bishop Neumann and win the school's first state championship in girls basketball.

Jessica Zaruba and Nicole Brungardt scored 19 points apiece as the Knights erased the heartbreak of losing to Crofton on a last-second shot in last year's final.

Bishop Neumann led 28-15 at half and 42-33 after three quarters. But Norfolk Catholic chipped away, with Zaruba tying it at 48 with two free throws. Brungardt's jumper with 1:24 left gave the Knights (24-1) their first lead of the game, and they held on the rest of the way.

Sara Reeves led Neumann (22-3) with 21 points.

* CLASS C-2

Perkins 62, Sutton 49

LINCOLN Thanks to Sara Wilson and Carlie Sis, Perkins County wouldnt be denied this time.

Wilson scored 23 points and Sis added 17 to help the Plainsmen beat Sutton in a Class C-2 final in which they never trailed.

Saturday's victory came a year after Perkins County had lost 60-56 in overtime to Kearney Catholic in the 2007 state final.

"Losing in overtime last year motivated us a lot," Wilson said. "We knew if we had another chance we had to win this time. We came out and played really hard and with a lot of heart."

The Plainsmen (24-0), whose only state tournament appearances have come the last three years, were in control throughout against Sutton.

* CLASS D-1

Bancroft-Rosalie 68, Pope John 35

LINCOLN Paige Goeken scored 17 points and Bancroft-Rosalie made 10 of 11 3-pointers as the Panthers rolled to a victory over Pope John in the Class D-1 girls basketball championship game.

The title was the Panthers' second since 2001.

Shelby Beaudette added 16 points, Kalene Anderson 15 and Megan Stansberry 11 for Bancroft-Rosalie, which lost in the semifinals the past two years. "We keep remembering getting knocked off. Its a horrible feeling," Beaudette said. "We weren't going to let it happen again."