As the final minute rolled off the clock, a fan of the girls’ basketball team from Chandler Seton Catholic said, “We need a miracle.’’

The Sentinels, trailing by nine points at the time, didn’t get it.

The team’s attempt to win a fourth straight state championship fell short as Tucson Flowing Wells posted a 41-34 victory in a Division II semifinal game at Jobing.com Arena in Glendale on Thursday (Feb. 21).

Flowing Wells (29-4) moves on to Saturday’s (Feb. 23) state title game at 10 a.m. at Jobing.com. The Caballeros had fallen to Seton in last year’s quarterfinals. Flowing Wells won the old Class 4A Division I title in 2008 under coach Michael Perkins.

Perkins leads this year’s group, too, and is eager to see if it can come through one more time.

“This is the best team chemistry I’ve had since I’ve been here,’’ Perkins said. “I love these kids to death.’’

“They’re (Seton) a great team. It’s nice to get over the hump this time.’’

Having a player like Lyndsay Leikem certainly helps. The 6-foot-1 guard-forward, who has signed with Indiana, scored 20 points.

“She is a special player. She knows how to handle the big-game situations. She is a great role model for the younger players,’’ Perkins said.

Seton, which lost point guard Anne Marie Holter to a knee injury late in the season, did its best to keep up with Flowing Wells. The Sentinels (30-5) were within six points 31-25 with 4:47 left in the game as 5-3 guard Anabel Lopez scored the first six points. She scored all of her team-leading 13 points in the final quarter.

Holter was missed, as Seton committed 28 turnovers.

Flowing Wells hit 10 of 13 free throws in the final 1:18.