HARRISBURG — The top-seeded NCOE Fighting Cardinals advanced to the GEC Tournament championship game with a 54-37 semifinal win over Pope County.
NCOE will face second seeded Crab Orchard for the title Saturday night.
The Fighting Cardinals built a double digit first half lead and then kept the Pirates at bay the rest of the night. NCOE led by as many as 14 in the second quarter before taking a 31-21 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The Pirates hung around, getting as close as seven late in the third, but the Fighting Cardinals extended the lead to 11 by the end of the third. NCOE then held Pope County to just five points in the fourth quarter to cruise to the 17-point win.
NCOE junior center Joe Melton led all scorers with 18 points. CJ Richardson added 16. Jackson Eddington led Pope County with 16. Logan Croley chipped in ten.
The Pirates will face Gallatin County at 7:00 Saturday night in the third place game. That’s after Carrier Mills/Stonefort will tangle with Hardin County in the consolation championship and prior to the NCOE/Crab Orchard title tilt.