MINERAL POINT — Darlington did all it could to slow down Cuba City in their third meeting of the season. However, in the end, the third time proved not to be the charm as the No. 6-ranked Redbirds couldn’t find a way to come out on top of the No. 1 Cubans.

Cuba City came up with the key stops they needed down the stretch to hold off a late Darlington push, and then the Cubans went 8-for-8 from the free throw line over the final 70 seconds of the game to put away the Redbirds, 55-48, in a WIAA Division 4 sectional semifinal boys’ basketball contest held in front of a limited crowd of around 250 March 12 at Mineral Point High School.

“I’m incredibly proud of them. Things went how we wanted it to go for the most part. I thought we executed pretty well for most of the game,” said Darlington head coach Tom Uppena. “It was a one possession game late multiple times, but we just couldn’t get over that hump. The kids gave everything they had. Unfortunately, we came up a little short today.”

Junior Brayden Dailey posted his 13th double-double of the season with a 20-point and 16-rebound performance to guide the unbeaten Cubans (25-0 overall) to their first sectional final appearance since 2014. The Redbirds finish the season with a 22-3 record with all three losses coming against Cuba City.

“Darlington played really well. It was an outstanding game. It’s too bad there wasn’t 1,500 people there to watch it,” said Cuba City’s Hall of Fame coach Jerry Petitgoue, referring to the attendance limit of 112 placed on each school by the WIAA earlier in the day as a measure to reduce the risks of the COVID-19 virus.

A little more than two hours after the game ended, the Cubans were informed that their season was also over after the WIAA Board of Control voted to cancel the remainder of the boys’ basketball playoffs, including the state tournament, due to the evolving concerns over the spread of COVID-19. 

“I want the student-athletes and their coaches to know that your school leaders, the WIAA Executive Staff, all our committees and the Board of Control have done everything imaginable to try to provide and preserve these opportunities for you,” WIAA Executive Director Dave Anderson said in a press release. “However, we want and need to be responsible in helping the global and state efforts to stem the tide and spread of this virus.”

Thursday’s game was nip-and-tuck from the start with the teams swapping the lead four times over the first six minutes of play. After junior forward Jack Misky put the Cubans ahead 8-6, Darlington pulled into the lead thanks to 3-pointers by junior guards Carter Lancaster and Curtis Stone, which book-ended a 9-2 run that gave the ‘Birds their largest lead of the night at 15-10.

The Cubans answered with 10 unanswered points to turn a five-point deficit into a five-point lead with just over six minutes remaining in the half. Dailey sandwiched a putback basket and a transition layup around a pair of Brady Olson treys to put the SWAL champs up 20-15.

The Redbirds tied the game at 20 on a 3-pointer by senior guard Michael Riley a short time later, but baskets by Misky and Dailey put the Cubans back in front to stay at 24-20 with under a minute remaining in the half.

Stone scored the final basket of the half with 33 seconds to go to pull the ‘Birds back within two at the intermission at 24-22.

“Give Darlington a lot of credit because they really slowed us down. They surprised us with the 2-3 zone (defense). They had a tremendous game plan,” Petitgoue said.

Dailey (eight points) and Misky (seven) teamed up to lead the Cubans’ offense on a 17-8 scoring run to open the second half that extended their lead to 41-30 with 8:28 to go.

The ‘Birds fought their way back within three points on three separate occasions in the final three minutes of the game, but would come no closer.

“Our kids didn’t give up. They kept playing hard until the end. One more shot goes in or one more ball bounces our way or one more thing goes different there and it’s a completely different game. If we take the lead there or tie it up, who knows how it turns out? We just couldn’t get over that hump,” Uppena said.

Sophomore Easton Evenstad pulled the ‘Birds within three at 47-44 on a breakaway layup following a steal with just over a minute to go, but the Cubans were perfect on free throw attempts down the stretch to seal the victory. Brady Olson went 4-for-4 to lead the way, while Dailey and senior Jackson Noll each went 2-for-2 from the stripe.

“At that point, you got to foul and hope for the best. But, unfortunately, they didn’t miss their free throws,” Uppena said.

Brady Olson finished with 16 points and Misky chipped in 14 for the Cubans, who were held to their lowest offensive output of the season and 26 points below their average by the Redbirds’ D.

Junior Cayden Rankin scored eight of his team-high 14 points in the second half for the Redbirds, who were also held to a season-low in points — 21 points under their season average. Rankin grabbed five rebounds and had a blocked shot on the night.

Lancaster, who was feeling a bit under the weather during the game, tallied 12 points, six rebounds, two assists and a steal. 

Evenstad scored all eight of his points in the second half while fighting cramps. Stone added five points and six boards, while Hardyman netted five points for the ‘Birds.

Thursday’s sectional game marked the final prep appearance for seniors Michael Riley and Ross Stauffacher. 

“It’s going to be hard to see them go because of what they each brought to the team. We only had two seniors, but both were huge contributors for us this year,” Uppena said. “Michael is a kid who busted his butt every practice. He didn’t play much for three years, and he finally gets his chance this year and does a really good job for us. Ross didn’t play last year; but, after missing a year, he comes back and gives it another shot. I’m proud of his perseverance. I’m happy for everything those two have given this team.”

With four starters and nearly 90 percent of their offense slated to return next season, Coach Uppena likes the chances of his team taking that next step forward as long as they put in the work.

“I told them we’re close, but we came up just a little bit short this season,” Uppena said. “We’ve got to work a little bit harder next year. We’ve got to get back in the gym and put in the work in the off-season to do the things we need to do to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”