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TACOMA – This undefeated Ferris Saxons basketball team will be remembered as the most tenacious, toughest, resolute team in school history.

So it is appropriate it had to go double overtime to win the boys State 4A basketball title Saturday night before 5,131 at the Tacoma Dome, with the Saxons’ 68-61 victory over the Kentridge Chargers capping a 29-0 season.

The school’s first undefeated season resulted in their second State 4A title, to go with the one it won in 1994. But this one came in a game for the ages.

Tied time and time again. No lead bigger than an early eight-point Kentridge edge. Players flying all over the court, shots contested, big ones converted.

And not decided until DeAngelo Casto’s resounding dunk with a minute left in double overtime which gave Ferris a 64-61 lead. From there, the Chargers were forced to shoot 3-pointers, something that they hadn’t done well all night, hitting just one in regulation.

“It was a grinder of a game, possession by possession,” Ferris coach Don Van Lierop said. “All four teams we played presented a different challenge, but I think the Redmond (quarterfinal) game really helped.”

The final margin was built at the free-throw line, where Ferris converted 25 of 34, including 11 of its last 12.

Casto led the way with 16 points, 12 rebounds and seven blocked shots, including three in the final 2 minutes of the second overtime. Tournament Most Valuable Player Shawn Stockton added 14 points, while Jared Karstetter had 11 and Erick Cheadle 10. All four are juniors.

“We’re a pretty deep team,” said senior Tyler Lynn, who added six points including two late free throws, “and were in some foul trouble. But we knew if we stayed calm, we could pull it out.”

For Kentridge, the two big players, 6-foot-6, 260-pound Travis Sterling (16 points) and 6-6 Renado Parker (14) led the way, but both fouled out trying to guard Casto inside.

The first overtime ended tied at 57, as Ferris scored all its points from the line and Kentridge made on basket, with a flying block by Casto saving a breakaway which would have given the Chargers a lead.

Kentridge got the last shot, but Brandon Turner’s eighth miss from long range at the buzzer kept it tied, just as it had been most of the night.

In a game with no margin greater than eight (Kentridge in the first quarter), it was tied at 48 with 3:07 left in regulation.

At that point the Chargers had missed just one free throw, Ferris seven.

Both teams got to the line twice in the next minute, Ferris making 2 of 4, Kentridge missing three consecutive times. But when Brandon Turner slashed to the hoop for only his fourth point of the game with 1:31 left, it was tied again at 50.

The Saxons killed the final seconds before getting the ball into Casto’s hands. Casto tried to elevate, but his shot was blocked by Sterling, forcing a travel.

Three timeouts ensued from Kentridge, the last one forced by Ferris defense. Finally, with 4.5 seconds the got it to Sterling, whose long throw barely hit backboard. Sterling fouled out in overtime with 14 points.

The game couldn’t have started much worse for the Saxons. The Chargers attacked inside the match-up zone and scored five of their first six baskets within 5 feet. By then they had built a 12-4 lead.

But Van Lierop called timeout, the Saxons got the ball inside to Casto for a bucket, then Stockton hit two 15-footers and by the end of the quarter Ferris had pulled within 14-10.

The Saxons ended the quarter on a 4-0 run, and Casto began the second with seven consecutive points – picking up the second foul on Sterling in the process.

Sterling took his two fouls and six points to the bench for the rest of the half, and Ferris had taken a 17-14 lead.

But the Chargers bench stepped up, with reserve guard Marcus Hall, averaging five points a game, scoring six in two possessions in the last 30 seconds to give Kentridge a 28-22 lead.

With 4.3 seconds left after Hall’s three free throws – he was fouled on a long jumper – the Saxons ran Stockton off an angle cut, he caught the ball in stride and hit a 3-pointer as time expired.

The last 4A school to win the title to cap a perfect season was Sehome in 1996, when it finished 30-0.