Last March, Benilde-St. Margaret’s watched its season end at the hands of a halfcourt miracle.

“That was the craziest moment I’ve ever experienced in a basketball game,” said Benilde-St. Margaret’s senior power forward Jalen Wilson, ESPN’s No. 1-ranked player in his class. “But I think that has helped us a lot this year. We have that edge. The game’s never over.”

Though Thursday was only a regular-season rematch for the No. 2 Red Knights and No. 3 Spartans, the standing-room-only gym suggested something deeper. A testing ground, for two of Minnesota’s best.

And this time, Benilde-St. Margaret’s came out on top, 76-72.

The Red Knights were up two when sophomore Milton Nuahn defended Groves tightly on the Spartans’ final possession. Instead of letting Groves step back for a game-winner, Nauhn drove Groves into Wilson, who came away with a steal, forcing the Spartans (12-4) to foul.

Senior Jaleel Donley led the Red Knights (14-1) with 19 points, scoring seven in a back-and-forth final three minutes. Senior TJ Stuttley netted 17.

Groves, leading the state with 33.4 points per game, did everything he could to replicate last year’s heroics. But his 45 points, plus 14 from senior Brady Wooley, weren’t enough to outpace the Red Knights’ balanced scoring attack through a tight second half.