ANTIGO, Wis. – Crandon is going to the WIAA State Girls Basketball Tournament for the first time.

The Cardinals defeated Marathon 50-44 in a Division 4 sectional final Saturday for their 17th straight win.

“I have a young team. I have sophomores and juniors,” Crandon Coach Keegan Kincaid told USA Today Network-Wisconsin. “They dig deep and they play hard. I think that’s what separates us from the competition. They believe in the system and it shows.”

Tabitha Renkas’ 15 points led the Northern Lakes Conference champion Cardinals, who converted 18 of 21 free throws in the game. Marathon misfired on 16 three-point field goal attempts.

Crandon, with no seniors on the team, faces La Crosse Aquinas at 6:35 p.m. Thursday in a state semifinal at the Resch Center in Green Bay. The other semifinal matches Manitowoc Lutheran and Melrose-Mindoro.

ALSO: Wausau Newman Catholic outlasted Gillett 52-40 in a WIAA Division 5 sectional final Saturday.

Taylor Yonker’s 14 points paced the Tigers (20-7), who rallied for a 31-31 at one point in the game.

Gillett defeated Niagara in a regional semifinal.