KINGSBURG - The fear of giving up his jersey didn't actually make John Williamson's shots start falling in overtime of a Central Section Division IV boys basketball semifinal Wednesday night.
Then again, it sure didn't hurt.
Williamson scored scored nine of his 23 points -- including the go-ahead three-point play -- in overtime to help third-seeded Kingsburg High overcome No. 7 Kerman 63-55 for a spot in Saturday's D-IV final.
"We realized how close it was to being over," said Williamson, whose two free throws with 38 seconds remaining forced overtime. "So we picked it up."
The Vikings (17-11) join the school's girls team for back-to-back championship games Saturday at Selland Arena. The girls face Corcoran at 10 a.m. and the boys meet Bakersfield Christian at noon.
Kingsburg's Myer Hanson goes between Kerman's Jose Acosta, left, and Jesus Rico in action from the Division IV semifinal on Wednesday March 4.
"I've been wanting this since I was a little kid watching the older guys," Williamson said. "I'm glad to get there."
Kerman (19-9) jumped out front in the overtime on Jose Magana's basket. His second hoop of overtime, an acrobatic drive under the basket, gave the Lions a 54-52 lead with 2:15 left.
It was all Kingsburg from there.
After Tyler Bray rebounded a Kerman miss, Williamson got the ball down low and scored while drawing a foul. Williamson sank the free throw with 1:16 to go to put the Vikings ahead for good at 55-54.
"I just spun and he fouled me," Williamson said. "I didn't even know it went in until everyone started cheering."
Williamson scored again 30 seconds later off an assist from Eric Lopez, Nico Cantu sank two free throws with 23 seconds remaining to all but seal the outcome.
"We knew if we pounded it down low we could score some points," Bray said.
Another pair of free throws from Williamson and Bray were the finishing touches as the Vikings earned their second trip to Selland Arena in four seasons.
"In overtime, we did what we wanted to do," Vikings coach Mark Bray said. "We took it to them and made some stops."
Kerman overcame an early 8-2 deficit and led by as many as eight points in the first half, led by the athletic Magana, who scored 19 points.
The Lions had two opportunities to go ahead at the end of regulation, but a Magana shot with 23 seconds left was off the mark, and the final possession ended with a travel call at the buzzer.
"They were deeper than us and they hit shots at the end," Kerman coach Robert Zavala said. "They just kept coming at us."
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