In the locker room, Eastland had getting off to a good start written down as a reminder for the team.

The Cougars were determined to have a strong opening against Dakota in Wednesday night’s Class 1A Orion Sectional semifinal.

Eastland accomplished that, and had a runaway finish to boot.

Eastland beat the Indians 49-31 to advance to Friday’s sectional championship against Pecatonica at 7 p.m. It is the third straight year the two have met in a sectional final.

Eastland led 12-5 after the first quarter and kept Dakota (31-1) at a distance before pulling away with a 22-10 advantage in the fourth quarter.

“They were known for not getting out to a quick start, but we knew we had to jump on them right away,” said Braden Anderson, who scored 12 points. “And that’s what we did.”

Parker Krogman scored eight of his 12 points in the final frame and Wyatt Carroll (11 points) hit a 3-pointer to put the Cougars (28-5) up 38-27 with 3:10 to play. Zy Haverland added eight points after dealing with foul trouble early.

After escaping with a 46-45 win over Orion in the regional final, Eastland won in convincing fashion.

“It was definitely nice to pull that one out how we did,” Anderson said. “It was very motivating to say the least.”

Eastland led 23-15 at halftime and 27-21 through three quarters after Dakota outscored Eastland 6-4 in the third. As Dakota tried to extend its defense in the fourth quarter, Eastland took advantage.

Krogman said the team stayed poised late to finish the win.

“When it comes to desperation time, you’ve got to start scoring buckets,” he said, “and they started forcing some things, and we took advantage of that on the defensive end.”

Offensively, Eastland was balanced. Krogman said that wasn’t the case early in the season.

“These guys, every game, they get better and better,” he said. “And they’re willing to step up.”

Anderson and Carroll combined to hit their first five shots in the first quarter. Haverland was key inside defensively against a physical Dakota team. Austin Stuckey led the Indians with 12 points and Cason Mayer was held to nine.

“We kind of knew what Dakota wanted to do. They love getting the ball in the post, they love scoring the points down low,” Haverland said. “Box out, just get rebounds, make sure they don’t get second-chance points.”

Eastland coach Tyler Zumdahl expected a tough, physical game against Dakota again this year. The Cougars beat the Indians 55-53 in last year’s sectional semifinal.

“They were bigger and stronger than they were last year,” he said. “They get into the post probably even more than they did last year. So we knew that’s kind of how it was going to go. And we had to be ready for that, and I thought our guys did a good job of matching that.”

Eastland took advantage of Dakota’s 13 turnovers and held the Indians to 10 points or less in every quarter.

Dakota coach Mike Bartelt said the team has talked about having better starts throughout the season. It came back to bite the Indians on Wednesday night. It was a five-point game before Anderson drilled a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer.

“We never really got back in the game from there,” he said. “We could never really get that run going to get us back in it.”

Bartelt’s team finished with a school record in wins, back-to-back regional titles and an undefeated conference title in the NUIC North.

“I’m so proud of those guys,” he said. “That’s what I told them. I know it hurts now, but you’re going to look back on this year and have a lot of positive thoughts.”

For Eastland, a second straight sectional title will require beating Pecatonica (22-13) for a third straight time this season. The Indians beat No. 1 Newman 70-66 in overtime on Tuesday as Zion Braimah scored 34 points.

“They’re definitely a tough team,” Haverland said. “It’s going to be a game about defense. Who can just close out more and hold the other team to less points, really. It’s definitely going to be a focus on Zion, he’s a great player.”

Both Eastland and Pec took their lumps in the regular season before coming through to reach the Sweet 16. It will be the only No. 2 vs. No. 3 seed matchup in 1A.

“All losses aren’t a bad thing,” Haverland said. “We played some tough teams, Pec has played some tough teams. ... It’s tough games that we try to prepare ourselves for the future.”

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The Eastland bench celebrates their win over Dakota 49-31 Wednesday, March 4, 2026, in the Orion 1A sectional semifinal. Eastland will play Pecatonica for the title. (Alex T. Paschal)