(BUNKER) – The Black River Tournament girls championship game was set Friday night on J-98.

The first team to punch a ticket was the top overall seed South Iron Panthers, who tamed the Lesterville Bearcats 70-43. It was closely contested in the first quarter, before the Panthers expounded a 39-27 lead at the end of the first half.

South Iron senior Ashley Mickan led all scorers with 20 points. Panthers head coach Lawrence Graves says his team did a good job of rebounding the ball.

Lesterville falls to 8-6 on the season and will play in the third place game. South Iron improved to 12-4.

The second semi final on J-98 saw the three-seed Clearwater Tigers down the second-seeded Viburnum Blue Jays 55-54. It was a back and forth contest that featured 12 lead changes in the second half. Both teams pushed the pace of play, but the Tigers’ Brittany Adams proved ferocious behind the arc.

The senior finished with 21 points, including four second-half 3’s.

Viburnum was unable to connect on late free throws allowing the Tigers to advance. Clearwater head coach Cheryl Dean previews tomorrow’s (Saturday) championship match.

Blue Jays head coach Randy Payne says his team has to put this game in the past and look forward to third place.

Clearwater moves to 6-6 with the win, while Viburnum falls to 6-5 on the year. Coverage of the Black River League Tournament will conclude Saturday night on J-98 with the girls and boys championship games. Pregame coverage will begin at 5:45.

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