The sixth-ranked Lancaster Bruins weathered the storm in the second round of the Class AAAA playoffs, coming from behind to knock off the Region 1 champion Wren Hurricanes 53-52.
"We knew where we were coming into, and we knew it was going to be a hard-fought game," Lancaster coach Ricardo Priester said. "Wren is a well-coached team, but we knew if we played 32 minutes that we'd get opportunities."
Lancaster advances to the third round of the playoffs to face the winner of the Dorman and Richland Northeast matchup.
The Bruins trailed the entire game and were down by 9 points early in the fourth quarter when they started to rally. Sindarius Thornwell scored eight points in the run, including the go-ahead layup with 2:47 remaining after a steal by Nate Bush.
"Defense is what we hang our hat on, and defense wins games. It was a team effort defensively, but we had a senior in Nate Bush step up," Priester said. "Guys kept believing and we made some plays down then stretch."
Lancaster closed the game on a 16-6 run, and, after Alan Robinson knocked down two free throws to give them a 53-50, did not give the Hurricanes an open look at a game-tying 3-pointer.
Thornwell led all scorers with 21 points, with Robinson chipping in 13 and C. D. Pelham adding 10 points for the Bruins.
Austin Anderson and Derrick Grey each had 13 points for the Hurricanes.
Both teams struggled to get going in the opening quarter, with the Hurricanes holding a 6-4 lead with a minute remaining in the period.
The Hurricanes closed the quarter on a 5-2 run, including an old-fashioned three-point play by Jared Fulks.
The Bruins tied the game at 13 three minutes into the second quarter, but the Hurricanes opened up a working margin with a 8-0 run.
Austin Anderson hit two free throws and Derrick Gray scored six straight points in the run, including two fast break layups to help the Hurricanes to a five point halftime lead.
LANCASTER 53, WREN 52
LANCASTER (53): Alan Robinson 13, Sindarius Thornwell 21, Bush 4, Montgomery 2, Foster 3, C.D. Pelham 10.
WREN (52): Austin Anderson 13, Floyd 4, Fulks 8, Crain 8, Derrick Grey 13, Graham 6.
Half: Wren 25-20. Record: Wren 19-9.
