No. 2 Male overcomes third quarter lull to come from behind and defeat No. 5 Ashland Blazer 69-66 to advance to the semifinals. A back-and-forth opening quarter of play set the stage for a thrilling finish. Male, who scored on their opening possession, controlled much of the first quarter building a 6-point lead late in the quarter. Colin Porter's basket in the opening minute of the second quarter pulled Ashland within 19-15 before the Bulldogs reeled off a 9-0 run extending their lead to 13 points at 28-15. The Bulldogs saw their lead swell to as many as 18 points with two minutes to play in the half, but a 10-4 Ashland run kept things a bit closer at the half with Male leading 41-29. The Tomcats exploded in the second half scoring 20 of the first 25 points in the third quarter to take a 50-46 lead following a steal and old-fashioned three-point play by Ethan Sellars. A basket by Kaleb Glenn on the opening possession of the fourth quarter put Male back ahead at 51-50. The Tomcats would score the next ten points to lead 60-51 with six minutes to play in the game. Jack Edelen's basket with 2:10 remaining in the game capped a 12-4 run by the Bulldogs to pull them within 64-63. Ryan Atkins basket on Ashland next possession kept the Tomcats ahead by 3 points with 1:32 remaining, but they wouldn't score again. Male's defensive pressure forced three turnovers and two missed shots over the final minute of play and a pair of baskets by Dez Lindsay and Jack Edelen were all it took for the Bulldogs to claim the victory.
Central Bank Player of the Game Jack Edelen led all scorers with 29 points for the Bulldogs. Kaleb Glenn added 20 points and 9 rebounds for Male. Colin Porter led Ashland Blazer with 24 points and 5 assists and Ethan Sellars added 23 points.
Male advances to Monday's semifinals where they will play Covington Catholic at 7:30pm. Ashland Blazer with take on host Fairdale at 6:00pm Monday in the consolation bracket.
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