LANARK – In the end, all Eastland’s players and fans could do was watch their Forreston counterparts dance on the bright orange paw at midcourt.

The scene, after the Cardinals’ 46-43 overtime victory in the Class 1A Eastland Regional final on Friday night, was unlikely in many ways.

Forreston (16-13) lost to Eastland (25-4) by 24 points (66-42) the second game of the season, on that very court. In the rematch, the Cardinals hit just 16 of 35 free-throw attempts, and committed a crucial turnover at the end of regulation to give the Cougars a chance to pull out the win.