On Thursday, #1 seed Cherry boys basketball took down #5 Cromwell-Wright 87-53, while #2 Deer River beat #3 Mountain Iron-Buhl 73-61.

Cromwell-Wright came out of the gate firing, leading Cherry 10-4 early in the game, but as Cherry does, they turned the game upside down and went on an offensive rampage, leading the Cardinals by 18 at halftime.

The Tigers will get a chance to defend their section title against Deer River, who took down the Rangers with a consistent offensive attack. Despite Mountain Iron-Buhl’s late comeback attempt, the Rangers fell just short.

Cherry and Deer River will tip off from UMD’s Romano Gymnasium on Saturday at 1 p.m., with the winner heading to the state tournament.