In region four section one high school basketball action, the Man Hillbillies moved into the sectional finals last night, as they knocked off the Sherman Tide 66-38 from Willie Akers Arena, while the Tug Valley Panthers also advanced into the championship round, as they eliminated the Tolsia Rebels 76-48 in the other semifinal.
The Hillbillies trailed the Tide 18-14 early in the 2nd quarter as the Tide attempted to play stall ball, but Man was able to put on a big spurt from that point on through the third quarter with the help of Caleb Blevins game-high 20 points, as the Hillbillies pulled away for their 12th win of the season. Tug Valley never trailed in their semifinal battle of top 10 teams in Class A, as they jumped out to a 19-5 lead before seeing it shrink to 30-22 at the half.
The Panthers then turned on the afterburners in the 3rd quarter, as they outscored Tolsia 24-6 in the period, and cruised to an easy win on the strength of Caleb May's game-high 26 points in the win.
Man and Tug Valley will now face off for the sectional title on Thursday with the winner hosting a home game next week for the right to go to the state tournament, while the loser will go on the road to play their regional final. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. from Willie Akers Arena.