This is what playoff lacrosse is meant to be: a back-and-forth battle between two of the top four teams in the state, a game in which leads were hard to come by.

Down by a goal in the final quarter, MontiQuois made one final push that would prove to be enough to beat Orono 10-8 in the Minnesota Boys Scholastic Lacrosse Association semifinals on Thursday, June 9, at Mounds View High School.

“We were moving the ball very quickly and were able to sneak a few guys open into the crease,” MontiQuois coach Gene Emanuel said. “It was a well-played game on both sides, and they (Orono) made us work very hard."

Evan Hesse scored three goals and Brady Artwohl added two for MontiQuois.

"Our team was fortunate to score a few late goals that ended up being the difference,” Emanuel said.

MontiQuois plays St. Louis Park in the MBSLA championship game at 7 p.m. on Saturday at Orono High School. MontiQuois defeated St. Louis Park 12-6 in their lone regular season meeting.