TROY — Birmingham Brother Rice lacrosse had a battle on its hands against University of Detroit Jesuit in the Division 1 state final June 6 at Troy Athens.

After trailing by as many as three goals in the first half, and by one with just over five minutes left, Rice found its groove, scoring two goals in the closing minutes to secure a 12-11 victory and its seventh straight state championship.

“They were a great team,” Rice coach Rob Ambrose said of Jesuit. “They had a plan, and they worked at it really hard. I told our kids to keep their composure and do the things that we do well.”

After trailing 9-7 at the break, the Warriors’ defense shut down the Cubs’ offense and held them to two goals in the second half.

“We just didn’t quit,” said Rice senior captain Dan Henneghan. “We knew if we kept going full speed the whole game, it was going to eventually wear them down and we were going to be able to get over that hump. It seemed like we’d be down one, we’d score, and then they would score. But we finally got over that hump when it mattered.”

Rice junior Lukas Jackson struck with 4:40 left to tie the game at 11, and then it was Henneghan’s goal with 3:05 left that proved to be the game-winner.

Jesuit coach Sean Leary said the Warriors’ offensive pressure became too much as the game wore on.

“In that last quarter, we played too much defense. The defense played great, but the more you play it, the harder it becomes,” he said. “It’s a break here or there.”

Senior Nick Dolik led Rice (20-3 overall) with five goals; senior Connor Carey had four for the Cubs (14-9).

You can reach Sports Writer Christian Davis at cdavis@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1062.