The Frankfort Wildcats advanced to the state championship game for the first time in 43 years as they knocked off South Gray 48-31.

Frankfort’s first quarter was not their best, but five free throws kept them within one. They would trail 13-12 going into the second quarter with Breleigh Ebert leading the way with six points.

Hattie Gros scored six more points in the second quarter to get her point total to 10 at halftime. Ebert made a three-pointer with six seconds left to tie the game at the break 23-23. She had nine points going into the locker room.

Frankfort and South Gray combined for just 10 points in the third quarter with the Wildcats outscoring the Rebels to 6-4 which gave them a 29-27 lead going into the fourth quarter.

Allie Reed for South Gray fouled out with 7:40 left in the game. She was their leading scorer in their blowout quarterfinal win over Rawlins County where she scored 27 points. The Wildcats held her to just four points.

The fourth quarter is when the Wildcats’ offense exploded onto the scene as they outscored the Rebels 19-4. Gros and Sydney Wapp both had six points in the quarter and Ashlyn Dalinghaus had five points. In the end, Frankfort outscored South Gray 25-8 in the second half.

Gros finished the game with 18 points shooting 6-for-17 from the floor, 1-for-6 from beyond the arc and 4-for-4 from the free throw line. She is your Player of the Game brought to you by Farmers State Bank. Wapp ended her game with 10 points and six rebounds, and Ebert finished with nine points and seven rebounds.

The Wildcats are on to the state championship game for the first time since 1981, and they will take on Little River, who bounced Centralia from the tournament. The title game will be at 6:15 p.m. on 92.1 FM KMZA.