Kelsi Karkosh made her only free throw of the game at just the right time for Cedar Rapids Xavier.

Karkosh sank a foul shot with four-tenths of a second left to give third-ranked Xavier a 30-29 victory over No. 9 Spirit Lake on Tuesday in a Class 3A game marked by tough defense on both sides.

Spirit Lake tied the score at 29 when freshman Amber Kirschbaum hit a turnaround shot with 10.6 seconds remaining. Xavier then ran the clock down and Karkosh was fouled taking a shot. She missed her first free throw but made the second to send Xavier into the semifinals.

Bailey Dorrington and Sara Clancy led Xavier with eight points each and Clancy grabbed 11 rebounds. Kirschbaum had 16 points and 11 rebounds to lead Spirit Lake. Katie Brown grabbed eight rebounds for the Indians and scored four points.

Spirit Lake trailed 26-16 late in the third quarter, then went on an 11-1 run to tie it at 27. Dorrington and Clancy each sank a free throw for Xavier before Spirit Lake got the ball to Kirschbaum on the low block for the tying basket.

Xavier takes an 18-7 record into its semifinal game at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. All of the Saints' losses have been to Class 4A teams. Spirit Lake finishes 23-2.