“I would put my team and my program over the past five years among the top programs in the state,” said Lakeville South coach Stephen Willingham. “But the fact of it is, Lakeville North is our neighbor and they have one of the great programs.”

The Panthers have been among the usual suspects at the Class 3A state tournament the past 13 years. They have been to eight tourneys, won the state title three times, reached the title game five times, placed third once and never lost in the first round.

Lakeville advanced to the state tournament for three consecutive years before the 2005 split into North and South high schools, and the southsiders have been chasing their neighbors ever since.

That the Cougars are closing the gap was evident this year. The teams played twice in the regular season, with Lakeville South winning in five sets in September and Lakeville North winning in a three-set tournament match on Oct. 13. In those games, each team won four sets and accumulated 162 points.

“It’s good for us to have a crosstown rival that’s so strong,” Panthers coach Jackie Richter said. “And I’m sure it’s good for them. I don’t ever tally previous seasons and history. It’s just the game we’re playing now.”

The section championship game was no different than this season’s regular-season meetings. Leads evaporated quickly, and momentum turned with each hit.

“We played from behind the whole game,” Willingham said. “We’ve got a couple of drills we do in practice that help us out. We like the short game. The kids felt really comfortable.”

That was evident when Weidemann got caught off balance near the right sideline but had enough awareness to stick out her foot and keep the ball alive. Lakeville South was ahead 17-16 and the Panthers’ Macy Winter seemed set to tie the game with her kill shot.

“I saw it coming and I knew I wasn’t going to get my hands there in time,” said Weidemann, a sophomore in her third year playing varsity. “So I just stuck my foot out.”

Richter added: “The kick save sealed the deal, but sometimes that’s just the way the game goes. In a point-for-point match, somebody’s gotta win.”

This time it was the Cougars.

For Lakeville South, Jasmine Mulvihill had 25 kills and 22 digs, Ava Moes had 21 kills and Carlee Gonzalez added 10 more. Weidemann led the way with 57 assists.

Senior Elizabeth Juhnke led the Panthers with 24 kills and 21 digs. Teammates Macy Winter had 16 kills, Amelia Wherland had 53 assists and Halle Wolfe contributed with 29 digs.