Cedar Rapids Washington earned the last of the eight berths in the state championship games _ and the Warriors had to survive a gritty comeback to get there.

Seventh-ranked Washington made five of seven free throws in the final 2:15 to beat No. 6 Cedar Rapids Prairie 57-53 in the Class 4A semifinals on Friday.

Washington avenged a 68-55 regular-season loss to Prairie and will try for its second state title when it plays No. 5 Des Moines Roosevelt at 8 p.m. Saturday. The Warriors won the 1995 championship and finished second last year.

It's also a chance for Washington coach Frank Howell to win his second state championship. Howell guided Audubon to the 2A title in 1999.

Micha Mims led Washington with 22 points and Katelin Oney scored 20. Mims went 11-for-11 at the free throw line and added four rebounds, three assists and two steals. Oney had four rebounds and three steals.

Morgan Funke led Prairie with 15 points, while Jessica Statler had 14 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Washington led 45-30 late in the third quarter, then had to fight off Prairie the rest of the way. The Hawks began pressing and ran off 10 straight points to trail 45-40, then drew to 47-43 on Statler's 3-pointer.

Mims converted a three-point play off a layup to take the lead to 52-43, but Prairie charged back again, drawing to 55-53 when Funke hit a baseline jumper with 20 seconds left. Oney then drew a foul and went to the line with 11 seconds remaining.

Oney had missed everything on her previous attempt with 30 seconds to play. But she swished the first one and the second shot rolled in after hitting the front of the rim, securing the victory.

Washington moves on with a 21-4 record. Prairie finishes 19-6.