EAST LANSING - The Huron High School boys basketball team craved a spot on those soft, white cushioned seats that line the Breslin Center court.

On Saturday, they gave them a front-row view of heartbreak.

One year ago, most of these same River Rats sat together in the upper bowl of the same arena on Michigan State University’s campus, watching the MHSAA Class A semifinals play out in front of them. They used that experience as motivation this year.

They were going to play their way in this year, not pay their way in.

And they did it, too. For two days, the River Rats were at the epicenter of the state’s high school basketball world, surrounded by a sea of forest green and old gold both days.

Their tournament run was ended by a Kalamazoo Central team that wins games the same way Huron has all year, with a balanced offensive attack and relentless defensive pressure.

In the Maroon Giants’ 74-65 championship game win, they did both a little bit better.

So there were the River Rats as the clock ticked down on their history-making season - on those desirable, soft white seats that line the Breslin Center floor - with their jerseys pulled up over tear-filled eyes as the Kalamazoo Central crowd went wild.

This Huron team was the first to reach the quarterfinal round since 1989. And it’s the first in school history to play a semifinal or championship game.

Nice accomplishments, for sure. But this team didn’t set out to only reach a level its program hadn’t reached before. The River Rats wanted a state championship, and thought they were good enough to achieve it.

The perspective those front-row seats provided, Huron junior guard A.J. Mathew said, will provide even greater impetus for next season.

“I looked over and saw Dante (Williams) start breaking down in tears. I know they’re tears of pain, but I also know they’re tears that will help us in the long run,” Mathew said. “Those tears will be motivation.

“Every time I take the court from here on out - in the preseason, in summer league, everything - I think it’ll be motivation to come back for more.”

Considering the River Rats got 54 of their 65 points on Saturday from players that will return to the program next year, it’s motivation that should be well served.

One Kalamazoo Central fan hoisted a banner during the game that read “Road to Redemption,” a reference to the Maroon Giants losing a halftime lead and falling to Detroit Pershing in last year’s state final.

It didn’t go unnoticed by the players on the other side of the court.

“I think this coming year will be our road to redemption,” Mathew said. “It’s just too bad we can’t leave our seniors with a state championship. The better team won today, but we have something to learn from them.”

Williams, who scored a team-high 24 points, echoed Mathew’s sentiments from the other side of the postgame interview podium.

“We’ll learn from (Kalamazoo Central),” he said. “We just have to work harder, push harder and make sure you want it more than the other team.”

Rich Rezler covers sports for AnnArbor.com. Contact him at 734-623-2553 or richrezler@annarbor.com.