REINBECK — Hudson Clark loves playing defense.

“Defense wins championships,” Clark said. “I’m just hustling out there.”

The Gladbrook-Reinbeck sophomore’s steal in overtime led to a pair of game-clinching free throws as the Rebels staved off Belle Plaine, 56-51, in a Class 1A District 11 semifinal at G-R High School on Thursday.

The Rebels (19-5) take on undefeated Keota (23-0) on Tuesday, Feb. 20 at Benton Community High School in the district final.

With G-R leading 54-51 in the waning seconds of overtime, Clark stabbed at the ball near mid-court and snatched it away from Belle Plaine’s Wyatt Kuch, passing on a fast-break layup and instead dribbling into the corner of the frontcourt before he was fouled with 7.6 seconds left, and then made both free throws to clinch the game.

“I knew I was either going to foul him or get the ball and it ended up in my favor,” Clark said.

G-R head coach Scott Kiburis said he didn’t play Clark as much as usual as the Rebels needed a perimeter shooter while Belle Plaine used their length to play zone defense on Thursday.

“But it’s hard to keep him on the bench because of what he can do,” Kiburis added. “And when we played man those last couple of possessions in regulation and in overtime he did really well and showed his strength.”

Kiburis added with a laugh: “I do wish he would have shot the layup there on that last one, though.”

Michael Boyd scored 17 points and Isaac Clark added 16 points for the Rebels. Isaac and Brandon Mathern had three 3-pointers each as G-R made nine long-range shots on Thursday, including seven in the first half en route to a 30-18 lead at the halftime horn.

“Every time they shoot it I have 100 percent confidence it’s going in, or that I’m getting the rebound,” Boyd said. “It boosts our confidence when we can work it inside out and take some good outside shots.”

Belle Plaine presented a challenge Gladbrook-Reinbeck doesn’t see often where Boyd and Drew Eilers were matched up against a tall, lengthy Plainsmen squad that made life difficult in the paint for G-R’s post players — Eilers sat for large chunks of the second half with three, then four fouls.

But even when scoring dried up inside, then outside in the second half, the defensive effort didn’t waver.

“We didn’t shoot overly well today,” Kiburis said. “But we won because we played defense and got rebounds.”

Isaac Clark hit the back half of two free throws with under 30 seconds to play in regulation and G-R got a stop on the other end to force overtime.

Tied 51-all, Boyd blocked a Belle Plaine shot and then drove in for a bucket on the other end in what was the eventual go-ahead shot.

Now, it’s on to trying to topple undefeated Keota — a team that G-R beat in the district final last year, but a team Kiburis notes has not changed nearly as much as G-R has in the last 365 days.

“This wasn’t exactly how we thought this game was gonna play out, but we’ve got to grind it out this week in practice and give it everything we’ve got,” Boyd added.

Gladbrook-Reinbeck 56, Belle Plaine 51, OT

BELLE PLAINE (16-7) — Wyatt Kuch 3 0-0 8, Mason Walter 0 0-0 0, Sam DeMeulenaere 4 4-6 12, Jax Stamp 6 1-2 14, Riley Simmons 6 0-0 15, Lane Vokoun 1 0-0 2. TOTALS 20 5-8 51.

GLADBROOK-REINBECK (19-5) — Isaac Clark 6 1-2 16, Austen Mathern 2 0-0 6, Hudson Clark 0 2-2 2, Drew Eilers 1 1-2 3, Michael Boyd 8 1-1 17, Brandon Mathern 3 0-0 9, Austin Vaverka 1 0-0 3. TOTALS 21 5-7 56.

B. PLAINE 12 6 22 9 2 — 51

G-R 15 15 12 7 7 — 56

3-Point Goals–Belle Plaine 6 (Simmons 3, Kuch 2, Stamp), G-R 9 (I. Clark 3, B. Mathern 3, A. Mathern 2, Vaverka). Team Fouls–Belle Plaine 9, G-R 14. Fouled Out–none.