Staff photo by Steve Muscatello Sleepy Eye’s Madi Heiderscheidt takes a shot as a pair of BOLD defenders look on during Section 2A playoff action Tuesday at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter.

ST. PETER — All season long, the Sleepy Eye girls’ basketball team wanted its final destination to be the state tournament.

On Tuesday night, the Indians got one step closer to that dream with a 63-53 victory over BOLD in the Section 2A, North Subsection finals game at Gustavus Adolphus College.

The Indians (25-4) now play at 6 p.m. in the Section 2A title game at Minnesota State University, Mankato against St. Clair.

The Indians last played at the state tournament in the 2015-16 season and there they lost in the first round and were eliminated.

Madi Heiderscheidt led the Indians with 18 points. Brianna Polesky and Sarah Ibarra had 17 apiece.

Ibarra added 10 rebounds as well.

Brenna Weis had 17 for the Warriors.

Heiderscheidt missed the 2016 run as a sophomore with an injury. That makes this year’s run that much sweeter.

“It just shows how much better we’ve gotten as a team this year,” Heiderscheidt said. “I personally didn’t play my sophomore year because I tore my ACL. It was a great team win, we’re all so excited.”

Sleepy Eye took an early 6-0 lead but BOLD eventually got going offensively and cut Sleepy Eye’s lead to 8-6. Sleepy Eye maintained a lead the entire first half and stretched it to 21-13 on a basket by Heiderscheidt.

A 7-0 run by BOLD made it 21-20, but the Indians closed the half with a 12-2 run and a 33-22 halftime lead.

The Warriors had the height advantage, but the Indians didn’t seem fazed.

“We had a little concern but not much because our posts know how to work the inside,” Polesky said.

BOLD cut Sleepy Eye’s lead to 41-35 with 9:21 left. But whenever the Warriors made a run, the Indians responded with one of their own.

Polesky hit a couple of 3s to put the Indians ahead 53-41 and they took off from there

A Heiderscheidt free throw put Sleepy Eye up 59-45 and the Indians hung on for the 10-point win.

The Indians turn their attention to Friday.

“It’s amazing, to go out in my senior year like this it’s amazing, I wouldn’t have wanted anything other than this,” Heiderscheidt said.