NORFOLK - Behind a strong effort from junior Tyler Regan, the O'Neill boys held off Boone Central/Newman Grove in the Mid-States Conference tournament semifinals.
Regan scored a game-high 27 points and added 11 rebounds to help the Eagles (17-2) defeat the Cardinals (10-7) 62-49 on Friday night at Northeast Community College to advance to the tournament finals. O'Neill struggled early offensively, but Boone Central/Newman Grove couldn't capitalize as the Eagles held a slim 6-4 lead after a rugged first quarter. Both teams cranked up their offenses in the second quarter, going back and forth before O'Neill took a 22-21 lead into the halftime break.
In the second half, the junior Regan took over, scoring seven points in the third quarter and 12 more in the fourth to help O'Neill avenge an earlier 60-55 loss to the Cardinals earlier this season. Justin Appleby added 14 points and four rebounds for O'Neill, while Jake Young chipped in 10 points. Boone Central/Newman Grove relied on the three-pointer all game long, connecting on nine three-point attempts to keep things close. Dylan Gentrup paced the Cardinals with 15 points and three rebounds, with Kyle Kramer adding 14 points and Keaton Henry finishing with 13 points.
O'Neill will now face Pierce in the Mid-States finals on Saturday night after the Bluejays got past Guardian Angels Central Catholic 46-37.
O'NEILL 6 16 18 22 62
BC/NG 4 17 14 14 49
O'Neill (17-2) Tyler Regan 27 points, Justin Appleby 14, Jake Young 10, Tyson Hostert 6, Alex Thramer 3, Walker Liewer 2
Boone Central/Newman Grove (10-7) Dylan Gentrup 15 points, Kyle Kramer 14, Keaton Henry 13, Scott Ketteler 3, Damian Backus 2, Derek Stuhr 2
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