C2D2 boys semifinals

It took all 32 minutes, but third-seeded Neelyville was able to hang on and advance to its second straight MSHSAA Class 2 District 2 Tournament championship Tuesday. The Tigers trailed by two points heading into the third quarter, but the defense buckled down and the offense continued to push forward for a 64-62 victory over second-seeded Van Buren. ìA lot of fight, you know, and Iím just super proud of them,î Neelyville coach Patrick Morton said. ìIt was a tough game, a physical game. Van Buren is a good team, man; theyíre well-coached. I thought both teams played pretty well, but that fourth quarter we had a couple of big possessions and defensive stops, some big rebounds that really pulled it out for us, so Iím just proud of my guys, man.î Neelyville (15-10) began the fourth quarter on a 9-2 run to take its biggest lead of the game to that point at five points with around five minutes to go. Thayer earned the top seed in the MSHSAA Class 2 District 2 tournament, and it looked the part Tuesday in the semifinals. The Bobcats held Ellington (14-13) scoreless for the first six minutes and 18 seconds of the game on the way to a 60-37 win over the Whippets.