Even though the McPherson boys were clocked by Bishop Miege in early December, McPherson believed it could win Saturday’s Class 4A Division 1 state-championship game.

McPherson believed, even though Miege boasts one of the best teams in Kansas, regardless of classification. McPherson believed, even though Miege had won its first four postseason games by more than 100 points, combined.

McPherson led into the second half at Tony’s Pizza Events Center, but in the end, Miege was, well, Miege. The Stags used their superior size and claimed their second straight state title, pulling away for a 67-53 win.

When the teams met earlier in McPherson, Miege steamrolled the Bullpups 85-52.

“We’ve believed all year,” McPherson junior forward Ben Pyle said. “We want a championship every year.”

That’s the expectation for a program that has won 13 state championships. Belief in winning state titles, no matter the opposition, is ingrained in the Bullpups.

McPherson learned from that early loss, rapidly improved, and hung with Miege this time.

“We got better,” McPherson coach Kurt Kinnamon said. “We got better defensively. They, pretty much, athletically dominated us the first game, and they came out and made a bunch of 3s early on.”

Miege coach Rick Zych had no illusions of another comfortable victory over McPherson. He said he knew the rematch would be closer and difficult.

“They’re so much improved,” Zych said. “They have a great coach and a great tradition. We played well up there, the best we played all year, and we knew it would be a better game today.”

Miege again came out hot, shooting 90 percent in the first quarter. The Stags were hitting perimeter shots and dunking in transition with ease. But McPherson countered with some solid perimeter shooting, and when Pyle sank a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, the Bullpups trailed just 21-17.

McPherson built on that shot, going on a 15-4 run. When Mason Alexander hit a 3-pointer with 3:21 before halftime, McPherson led 27-25. Drew Labertew followed that with a layup after a possession in which McPherson stayed calm under intense Miege defense. The Bullpups passed the ball at least 15 times before Labertew scored.

At halftime, McPherson led 29-28.

“We made some shots. Hard shots. Good shots,” Kinnamon said. “If you’re going to struggle against their length, you better made some outside shots.”

Miege’s inside presence, which includes 6-foot-8 Jeremiah Robinson and 6-6 Francesco Badocchi, soon took over. The lengthy, towering duo finished the night with 37 points and 21 rebounds. Badocchi alone out rebounded McPherson, 13-11.

“Their front court is bigger than KU’s, if you think about it,” Kinnamon said. “They’re all very skilled players, but I thought our guys did a good job fighting in there.”

Miege used a 8-0 early third-quarter run in taking the lead for good. But McPherson stuck around. Pyle’s three-point play with 5:08 left made it a 53-48 game.

“We were in the whole game until they made free throws at the end,” Pyle said. “If we had a better third quarter, it would have been a different game.”

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