Senior attackmen Charles Branch and Jeff Perkins each registered a co-game-high six points to lead No. 4 St. Mark’s to a wild, 19-15 victory over No. 21 Houston Episcopal in a Texas High School Lacrosse League Division I semifinal Saturday afternoon at Highland Park High School.

Branch scored four goals and added two assists, and Perkins had three goals and three assists, as the Lions (17-2) won their ninth straight and advanced to the state championship game for the second straight season and the third time in the last four years. St. Mark’s has never won the state title.

The Lions will next face No. 1 Highland Park on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m., CDT. During the regular season, the teams split two games, with St. Mark’s winning 9-8 in overtime on March 3 and Highland Park winning 7-3 on April 1.

In last year’s state championship game, Highland Park beat St. Mark’s, 7-5.

“Highland Park is playing exceptional lacrosse,” St. Mark’s head coach Hayward Lee said. “We know it’s going to take a tremendous game on our part to have a chance.”

On Saturday, senior middie Elliot Chang-Tung finished with five points on three goals and two assists, junior attackman Daniel Trevino and sophomore middie Will Perkins each had four points on three goals and one assist, and senior middie Fred Addy had four points on two goals and two assists.

Senior middie Connor Watamull dished three assists, and junior middie Gil Cassagne had a goal and an assist to round out the St. Mark’s offense.

In defeat, Max Skibber and Ryan Snyder each scored four goals for Houston Episcopal, which had its eight-game winning streak snapped and finished the season 16-10.

In the beginning, it looked like the Knights’ Cinderella run through the state playoffs might have one more day remaining. Houston Episcopal led 7-5 at the end of the first quarter, but St. Mark’s answered with a five-goal run in the second to take a 10-7 halftime lead.

St. Mark’s led 15-12 at the end of the third quarter, and the Lions were ahead 16-14 in the fourth when they went on a decisive, three-goal run to put it away. Jeff Perkins capped it when he scored with 6:03 remaining in regulation to give St. Mark’s a 19-14 lead.

“We did not play well defensively, but I’m really proud of how we stayed together and found a way,” Lee said. “We’ve had games where the reverse has been the case, and our defense has held us together. I’m really proud of how we kept our poise, kept our cool and found a way to win.”