QUITMAN -- Having been there before made a big difference for the Earle Bulldogs.
Against newcomer Jacksonville Lighthouse Christian, the defending state champions jumped on the Wolves early and held on for an 82-62 victory in the Class 2A state tournament semifinals Saturday afternoon.
After one quarter, Earle (29-6) held a 19-7 advantage.
"I think their experience really helped them a lot,'' Lighthouse Coach Kelvin Parker said. "It helped them out in the first quarter. They just came out and played harder. We had nerves, left shots short and tight.
"That first quarter, really the first half, was critical."
The Wolves (28-7) were 3 of 19 in the first quarter with 4 turnovers. They trailed 45-26 at halftime after shooting 8 of 17 in the second quarter.
Earle shot the ball well to take full advantage of the Wolves' woes. After shooting 6 of 11 from the field in the opening quarter, Earle was 9 of 12 in the second quarter. The Bulldogs consistently broke Lighthouse's pressure defense, and seven of the nine field goals were layups.
Earle was led by Gerry Bohanon with 24 points and 11 rebounds. BJ Murray scored 19, Darius Cisero had 15, Dontrell Johnson chipped in 11 and Travonta Doolittle scored 10.
Behind freshman Davonte Davis, who had 21 points, Jacksonville Lighthouse made a run. The Wolves trimmed it to 56-49 with 1:47 left in the third, but the Bulldogs closed the quarter with a 7-0 run for a 63-49 advantage going into the final quarter.
Marked Tree 62,
Cutter Morning Star 57
Marked Tree came into the state tournament as a No. 4 seed, but now Coach Barbara Wilburn's team is headed to the state title game.
The Indians rallied in the final quarter and pulled away from the Eagles, who came in as a No. 2 seed. In a close game with numerous lead swaps, the Indians grabbed the lead for good at 47-43 with 6:40 left. The Eagles (31-2) closed to 55-53 with 1:20 left, but Marked Tree embarked on a 6-0 run to close it out.
Colby Malone led Marked Tree with 19 points. Julian Booker scored 14, Tracy Brown chipped in 12 and Markel Perry had 10.
Chris Babb led the Eagles with 31 points and Jacob Slayton scored nine.
The Indians led 26-22 at halftime but trailed 36-33 with 3:23 left in the third. They led 43-41 going into the final quarter.
Sports on 03/05/2017