Cane Ridge’s Kyree Elder elevates for a first-quarter layup during Tuesday’s Region 6-AAA semifinal against Independence.
Independence’s Patrick Murphy (3) elevates for a second-quarter layup over Cane Ridge’s Shawn Pirtle during Tuesday’s Region 6-AAA semifinal.
The Independence boys basketball team secured its first sectional berth in program history by outlasting Cane Ridge 61-56 in Tuesday’s Region 6-AAA semifinal.
Junior Grayson Murphy scored 24 points to lead District 11-AAA champion Independence (27-2), which used a 17-0 first-half spurt to seize control and held off a furious second-half rally by the host Ravens (24-4). Independence will face Hillsboro at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Region 12-AAA championship.
“It’s surreal man,” said Murphy, who scored 42 in a quarterfinal win over McGavock on Saturday. “It was all smiles after the game. We’ve worked hard for this starting in the summer up until now. We deserve it.”
Junior Greg Miller buried back-to-back 3-pointers late in the first to spark Independence’s run. Cane Ridge, meanwhile, went ice cold for the roughly four-minute stretch, allowing the Eagles to a seize a 30-17 halftime advantage.
“They weren’t going to go away,” Independence coach Greg Glass said. “They’re well coached, they’re athletic and they’re very long. They were able to get some turnovers and chip away and get back into the game.”
District 12-AAA runner-up Cane Ridge, led by senior Kyree Elder’s game-high 27 points, regained its rhythm after the break, pulling to within 43-38 on Elder’s layup with 2:21 left in the third quarter.
“It’s an amazing thing with kids … they make some shots and the energy picks up on defense,” Cane Ridge coach Marlin Simms said. “You always try to teach your kids that offense shouldn’t dictate defense, but in the reality of life, it does.”
The Ravens pulled to within 58-55 on a Jimmy Greer 3-pointer with 25 seconds left in the game but they were unable to muster enough stops down the stretch.
“We kept fighting, kept plugging away and kept bleeding with each other,” Simms said. “They’ve had fight in them all season. It’s easy to lay down in a situation like that, and we didn’t. I was proud of our young men for that.”
Sophomore Damion Baugh finished with 13 points for the Ravens, who hit just three 3-pointers after burying 13 in last week’s quarterfinal win over Centennial, while Greer added 10.
Malcolm Walker finished with 15 points and Miller added 14 for Independence.
Reach Michael Murphy at 615-269-8262 and on Twitter @Murph_TNsports .