Salina ? After playing catch-up for three quarters, Ottawa High thought Colby was corralled.

But the Eagles put on one last burst and sped away from the Cyclones, taking a 67-59 victory in the Class 4A state boys basketball tournament semifinals Friday night at the Bicentennial Center.

Ottawa, down by as many as 12 points throughout the first half, couldn’t slow the smaller, quicker Eagles. Still, thanks to some timely post play from 6-foot-8 senior Ross Thompson, OHS rallied to take the lead early in the fourth quarter, 46-45.

From there, the teams traded baskets until the final two minutes, when back-to-back Ottawa turnovers let Colby pull away.

“We had drawn up isolation plays for Ross, which worked, but when we got the ball again we tried to do too much with it,” OHS coach David Grover said. “I think we just got a little eager to make a play.”

The Eagles (21-4) advanced to their first state-title game since 1999, while Ottawa (21-4) was denied its first title-game appearance since 1971. It was Ottawa’s first loss to a 4A team this season.

And it was all because of the Eagles’ blazing start.

Colby forced 10 Cyclones turnovers in the first quarter and nailed 10 of 17 field-goal attempts, taking a 23-11 lead. Colby tore through the Ottawa press on offense, which most teams haven’t done this season.

Ottawa, which averages 70 points a game, couldn’t keep up.

“We talked before the game that, with these two programs, the aggressor was going to win,” Grover said. “That’s what was frustrating was we just did not come out and play well.”

Ottawa settled down in the second quarter and trailed, 34-25, at halftime. Until then, all but two of the Cyclones’ shots were taken by Thompson or juniors Lee Baldwin and Andrew Maxwell — their three leading scorers — but Ottawa relies on its bench for production, and it didn’t get any.

Ottawa High's Lee Baldwin dejectedly walks off the court. Colby beat the Cyclones, 67-59, in their Class 4A state-tournament semifinal Friday in Salina.

With Colby’s swarming man-to-man defense taking away perimeter shots, the Cyclones looked out of sync for most of the half.

Colby seniors Landon Stover and Jordan Harris provided much of the Eagles’ scoring punch, combining for 45 points, including 29 from Stover.

“We’d seen teams that fast before. It wasn’t a surprise,” Thompson said. “They’ve got two really good scorers, and we knew that.”

Thompson finished with 19 points and seven rebounds, Maxwell added 12 points, and Baldwin hit for 15 points.

Now the Cyclones prepare for the third-place game at 2 p.m. today against Chanute. The Blue Comets (23-2) came in as the tournament’s top seed, but lost to Marysville, 66-53, Friday.

The Cyclones lost to Chanute in last season’s sub-state finals, which should help motivate them.

“I really don’t know,” Thompson said. “I would hope so. I would hope we can motivate ourselves. It’s just really hard to say when you’re not on the court.”