Gavin Radmer found a seam inside and bounced a pass to 6-foot-7 forward Jace Nelson in the final moments of Richmond-Burton’s Class 2A Johnsburg Regional semifinal against Timothy Christian.

Nelson finished the layup over a sea of Trojans defenders, giving the Rockets a one-point lead with under 15 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. R-B followed with stops on each of its last two defensive possessions to close out a 49-46 win in a tight battle Wednesday in which neither team led by more than five points.

“The whole game, we knew they were collapsing when we drove the ball inside,” said Nelson, who recorded 12 points and five rebounds in the win. “Our coach drew up a play and we executed it well. Gavin drove inside and just dumped it to me and I was wide open.”

The fourth-seeded Rockets (20-9), who overcame an almost four-minute scoring drought to start the first quarter, will advance to play top seed and host Johnsburg in the regional championship at 7 p.m. Friday evening. The two Kishwaukee River Conference teams have played twice this year, with Johnsburg winning both games.

“It’s great to get the opportunity to play them again,” said Radmer, who had 14 points, four rebounds and two assists for the Rockets on Wednesday. “I think we played our two worst games of the year against them, but I know what we’re capable of and we’re not the team we were when we played them last. ... We’re losing a lot of seniors, so winning a regional title would mean everything.”

A steal-and-score by Radmer gave R-B a 10-8 lead over the fifth-seeded Trojans (19-12) after one quarter. Sophomore guard Will Gardner, who had eight points and three rebounds off the bench, leaped out of bounds for an acrobatic assist that led to a Radmer 3-pointer to put R-B up 15-10 midway through the second quarter.

But Timothy Christian answered with back-to-back 3-pointers. Playing through 6-foot-7 forward Marc Gamble, the Trojans went back and forth with the Rockets all evening long, never trailing by more than a few points. Gamble, who asserted himself in the second half, scored 21 points to lead all players and grabbed eight rebounds.

“My teammates put me in great situations,” Gamble said. “My coach had me running off all of these plays and my teammates were able to give me the ball in the right spots. This whole year, we faced adversity, so we’re mentally tough. We played tough games this whole year and that definitely helped us stay with it.”

Dane Gardner compiled nine points, six rebounds and three dimes for the Rockets, who are shooting for their first regional title since 2006. Nelson finished with six points and four rebounds, while Isaac Plaisier (11 points, three assists) and Charles Rieger (10 points, four rebounds) each went into double figures for the Trojans.

“They found a way to scratch that one out,” Timothy Christian coach Peyton Wyatt said. “I don’t think we played well enough to win this game, unfortunately. The biggest thing for us has been rebounding and we lost on the glass. We did some things that were uncharacteristic, but that’s what can happen in the postseason.”

Johnsburg took the first of the two semifinal games Wednesday evening, building a double-digit lead in the first half and beating North Boone 74-57. Josh Kaunas had the hot hand in the first quarter, drilling three 3s and scoring 11 of his 13 points for the game. Kaunas added nine rebounds for Johnsburg (21-11).

“Our team played well and we gave each other open shots,” the 6-foot-6 guard Kaunas said. “We just drive and kick. That’s our main thing. It would mean everything for us to cut down the nets.”

Jayce Schmitt took over in the second half, torching the Vikings with a combination of 3-point shooting and low-post finishes. Schmitt, who drained four second-half triples and five for the game, led the Skyhawks with 29 points while adding six rebounds and four assists. Johnsburg converted 12 3s in the victory.

“For me, it was starting out with the drive-and-kicks,” Schmitt said. “I love catching it in rhythm and getting a good 3 up. I saw the first couple go in and I just kept going off the dribble.”

Michael Persson finished with 22 points and seven rebounds for the eighth-seeded Vikings (15-15), who found success attacking the rim early in the first half. But North Boone couldn’t keep pace with the sharpshooting Skyhawks, who are seeking their first regional title since 2019. Jarrel Albea totaled 13 points and Trey Toussaint dished out five assists for Johnsburg.