POCATELLO — Chinma Njoku made her way from the locker room to the training space with a bag of ice in her hand.

The Century player spent most of her time after the game receiving medical attention after leaving blood, sweat and tears on her home court Thursday. Njoku and Century played Pocatello in a game that felt like a state playoff matchup, a boxing match that went the distance, and Njoku was front and center in the action.

Century’s junior post played through a nose injury, sent the game to overtime with a buzzer-beating layup and scored five points in the extra frame to help the Diamondbacks beat Pocatello 47-42. The victory advances the Diamondbacks to the 4A District 5-6 title game, where they host Preston on Tuesday with a state tournament spot on the line.

“That was wow, crazy, unbelievable,” Century coach Chris Shuler said. “I still can’t believe it. You watch games like that on TV. These girls refused to lose. I’m so proud.”

In a thrilling game that featured three lead changes in the final 26.3 seconds of regulation, it was Century (16-6) that rallied in the extra period to outscore Pocatello 9-4 following a fourth quarter that featured hair-raising action.

Pocatello’s Destiny Harris put her team ahead 38-36 with 12.5 seconds remaining with a three-point play, but Njoku played spoiler and tied the game at 38-38 at the buzzer after a missed 3-pointer from Lexi Bull.

Pocatello (9-13) trailed by three points from the 1:10 mark of overtime until Century’s Olivia Holt converted the game-sealing free throws with 1.3 seconds remaining. The junior’s shots from the charity stripe came after Ashton Adamson’s steal put the Diamondbacks in position to win. The freshman stole a potential fast break-starting pass with four seconds remaining after a missed free throw left the door open for the Indians.

Pocatello was 2 of 9 from the field in overtime, missed its final four shots and played the final 1:16 without Harris, who fouled out after scoring 20 points. The D-backs made 2 of their 6 free throws in the final 24.6 seconds of OT, but the Indians never evened the score.

“We were so close,” Pocatello coach Brock Gunter said. “This group works so hard, and we are getting better. It just hurts. I’m proud of them.”

Thursday’s game was a back-and-forth matchup that sent the spectators through a whirlwind of emotions. Many fans plugged their ears in the fourth quarter and overtime because of the noise level, while some could not bear to watch at certain points, including Shuler.

The atmosphere matched the product, and the crosstown rivalry lived up to the hype. When the final buzzer sounded, Century’s bench mobbed Bull in the corner of the gym as Pocatello made its way across the court, left to think about the final seconds of regulation and how close they were to celebrating an upset win on their rival’s home floor.

“That was crazy,” Holt said. “We played our hearts out. It could not have been a better game. It was fun.”

Besides the late-game dramatics from Harris, Holt and Njoku, Century’s Abigail Christensen and Pocatello’s Kate Jackman had buckets that put their teams ahead in the waning moments of the fourth quarter.

Jackman hit a 3-pointer with 26.3 seconds remaining to give Pocatello a 35-34 lead, but Christensen answered six seconds later with a layup.

“That was chaotic,” Njoku said. “It was very intense. It was good for us because we matured. We grew up. It gave us a taste of what state could be like.”

Blended in with the heart-stopping moments was a battle in the paint between Harris and Njoku, who combined for 35 points.

Harris owned the first half, when she scored 11 of her game-high 20 points, but Njoku finished strong and tallied 14 of her 15 points after halftime.

When Harris fouled out in overtime, she dropped to the floor before heading off to a standing ovation from the entire gym.

“She played great,” Gunter said. “She had that attitude that she was going to take it to them. She played physical.”

Njoku saved her best for last and played through the effects of her bloody nose from an elbow that sent her to the bench in the fourth quarter. She returned to raucous applause from the Century fans behind the home bench.

As the game swayed toward the Indians, Njoku stepped up and helped the Diamondbacks stay afloat. The D-backs “warrior”, according to Shuler, was a calming presence in the game’s most intense moments.

“She is amazing,” Holt said. “She is so good. All we have to do is get her the ball and she goes up and scores.”

Century hosts Preston on Tuesday in a rematch of last season’s district title game, which Century won to claim its sixth consecutive conference crown.

Pocatello hosts Idaho Falls on Saturday in a loser-out game, a quick turnover from Thursday’s madness. Pocatello was seconds away from being in the D-backs’ position, but now must beat the Tigers to keep its season alive.

“We’ve been this way all season,” Gunter said. “We’ve dropped games, but these girls fight. We are this close to the tournament, and they want it. They realize that. We are going to battle.”

Century 47, Pocatello 42 (OT)