The Santa Maria Cougars took down the Sabine Pass Sharks 58-51 in their Region IV-2A semifinal playoff game Friday at Buda Johnson High School to earn their spot in the Elite 8.
Santa Maria (20-12) moves on to the Region IV-2A final to face Thrall (28-5) at 1 p.m. Saturday at Buda Johnson High School.
The Cougars and Sharks traded buckets during the first half with Santa Maria holding a 19-15 lead after one quarter. Sabine Pass responded with a big second quarter to enter the break with a 27-24 advantage.
Just like they did in their regional quarterfinal victory over San Antonio Lee Academy on Tuesday, the Cougars took over the third quarter to outscore the Sharks 15-9 during the third quarter to take a 39-36 lead into the fourth.
The Cougars kept the Sharks at arms distance with clutch free throw shooting down the stretch and a pair of big baskets from Aro Cantu to pull out the 58-51 regional semifinal victory.
Luis Otero had the hot hand early for Santa Maria to get the Cougars off to a good start.
The Cougars will battle Thrall at 1 p.m. Saturday in Buda with a spot in the final four on the line. Thrall defeated Kenedy 64-43 on Friday evening to set up the matchup against Santa Maria.
