A year ago, Reger Baker was a high school student in Savannah, Ga.

On Tuesday night, he was right where Killian wanted him — under the Cougars’ basket.

Baker, a 6-7, 225-pound senior, scored on a put-back with 1.1 seconds left to lift the host Cougars to a 46-44 win over Columbus in a Class 8A regional semifinal. Killian (19-5) advanced to Saturday’s regional final at Hialeah Gardens.

Killian’s Doug Escobar, a 6-2 senior guard who led all scorers with 22 points, had the first opportunity to hit a game-winner Tuesday. He held the ball for the final 30 seconds, looking for the last shot. He then drove the lane and missed, but Baker elevated and scored over the smaller Explorers.

“I knew he was going to be there,” Escobar said.

Columbus (18-10), which had led by as many as eight points in the first quarter, went into halftime leading 31-28. Escobar then got hot, scoring 11 consecutive Cougars points on five driving layups and a free throw.

Killian took its first lead of the game on a layup by sophomore point guard Luis Menendez, making it 41-40 with 5:01 left. After a Columbus free throw, Killian surged ahead on a Baker post move and a free throw by T.J. Allen, who was playing despite having a fever.

Down 44-41 with 1:10 left, Columbus’ sophomore guard Marquise Clark drove the middle of the lane to make a three-point play, despite the “no-foul” instructions from Killian coach Nick Ronda.

That set up Baker’s heroics, and Columbus, which had beaten Coral Reef in double overtime in the regional quarterfinals, ran out of miracles when Johnny Minervino’s 55-foot three-point try fell short at the buzzer.

•  KIL: Escobar 22, Baker 10, Freeman 6, Allen 1, Menendez 2, Moore 5. COL: Minervino 10, Clark 8, Rodriguez 7, Rico 7, Chacon 8, Daniel Ramis 4. Halftime: COL 31-28. Three-pointers: Escobar 1, Minervino 1, Rodriguez 1, Chacon 1.

•  Region 4-6A semifinals — Norland 78, Pembroke Pines Charter 74 (OT): Big games call for clutch performances.

Norland got one from guard Cleon Roberts, getting a game-high 22 points, six rebounds, and five assists — including a game-sealing three-point play — in an intense game at Flanagan.

The Vikings (27-3) will either travel to Naples Barron Collier or host Island Coast on Saturday in the Region 4-6A final.

Pines Charter, which had not led in the game since midway through the second quarter, clawed its way back into the game throughout the second half — actually taking a 66-65 lead with six seconds left in the game after two free throws from Justin Satchell.

After Satchell’s free throws, Norland tried to get the ball in the hands of Roberts, but the Jaguars denied him the ball and it ended up with Erron Cooper. Cooper drove the lane and floated a layup off the backboard as time expired, but the officials called a foul with three-tenths of a second left — putting Cooper on the line.

Cooper missed the first free throw, but sank the second to tie the game at 66 and send it into overtime. In overtime, Norland went to Roberts, as he scored nine of the 12 points — punctuating the performance with a breakaway dunk after a steal to put Norland ahead 77-70 with less than 28 seconds to play.

Vikings coach Lawton Williams III only had one word to describe his senior guard.

“Monster,” Williams said. “He’s the best in the state.”

J.T. WILCOX

•  NOR (27-3): C. Roberts 22, Cooper 11, Fabien 10, Deceus 7, Henry 6, Fils-Aime 6, Williams 6, Duncan 6, McCrea 4. PPC (20-5): Willis 19, Wilkinson 18, Bryant 17, Satchell 15, Tesone 3, Meade 2. Halftime: NOR 35-26. Three-pointers: Bryant 4, Wilkinson 3, Fabien 2, Henry, Cooper, Tesone. Fouled out: Satchell, McCrea. Rebounds: C. Roberts 6. Assists: C. Roberts 5. Steals: Fabien 3.