BLISSFIELD – Whiteford lost its poise, found it, forced overtime, and beat Erie Mason 68-62 in Wednesday to advance to Friday’s district final.

Hunter DeBarr was whistled for a technical foul in the first half. He shook it off and scored 19 points in the second half to spark the Bobcat comeback. He scored seven points in overtime, including a two-handed dunk in the final seconds of the game.

“We kept our composure and had a lot of energy, especially in the end,” DeBarr said. “We knew they were going to give us their best shot. It’s the playoffs. We were ready to play and knew what we had to do to win.”

The game featured 16 lead changes until the 15-8 Bobcats seized control in overtime.

Erie Mason’s last lead of the game came on a Logan Goodin offensive rebound with 3:24 left in the fourth quarter. DeBarr scored inside with 2:55 left to make it 53-52 then Noah Stevens scored the first of his two important baskets in the final two minutes to give the Bobcats a three-point advantage.

Mason wasn’t done, however, as Karter Stubleski hit a 3-pointer with 1:46 left to tie the game at 55-55. Stevens and Jackson Iocoangeli traded buckets in the final minute and the game went into overtime.

DeBarr gave Whiteford a 58-57 lead on a free throw then Stevens buried two free throws for a 60-57 lead. DeBarr followed that with two more free throws to put the Bobcats up five and they held on from there.

DeBarr finished with a career-high 25 points, with almost all of his shots coming at the rim.

“He did a good job,” Whiteford coach Nick Abalos said. “He was crashing the boards hard and scoring when we needed him to score. We needed it to because Erie Mason was really keying in on Evan (Parker) and Josh (Hill). We put Hunter down low so he could get the ball in there and score. He passed the ball really well too.”

DeBarr said he’s more known for rebounding and defense than offense. He was just taking advantage of the situation, he said.

“It was kind of a personnel thing with guys we had on the court,” DeBarr said. “I’m not a very good shooter, but I can play down low and rebound.”

Ryin Ruddy scored 12 points and Hill nine for Whiteford.

“Our confidence is sky high right now,” DeBarr said. “We are playing good basketball. We just have to continue to play hard.”

The Eagles bowed out with a 6-18 record but had a great district and has some building blocks for the future, including freshman David Sweeney who came off the bench Wednesday to hit four 3s and score 15 points. Xavier Wise finished with 14 and Iocoangeli 11.

Mason made a season-high 12 3-pointers.

“That’s kind of how our whole season has gone,” Mason coach Kevin Skaggs said. “We were there but couldn’t get it in the end. I’m proud of our guys. They played hard and fought all season. We have some good things to look forward to.”

Whiteford returns to Blissfield Friday to take on the St. Mary Catholic Central Falcons, a school they have never beat on the hardwood. The Bobcats will be looking for their first district title since 2014.

WHITEFORD 17 10 17 13 11 – 68

ERIE MASON 13 18 13 13 5 – 62

WHITEFORD: L. Joerin 2(2) 0-0 6, Hill 3(3) 0-0 9, DeBarr 9 7-10 25, Masserant 3 0-0 6, Stevens 3 2-2 8, Ruddy 4 4-6 12, Waterford 1 0-0 2. Totals 25(5) 13-18.

ERIE MASON: Kreger 2(1) 0-1 5, Sweeney 4(4) 3-3 15, Stubleski 1(1) 0-0 3, Iocoangeli 5(1) 0-0 11, Wise 4(4) 2-2 14, Goodin 3(1) 0-0 7, Crooks 2 3-4 7. Totals 21(12) 8-10 62.