The Cyclones started strong, but had to hold late.
Elizabethton jumped out an early lead, and then held onto take a 57-47 victory over Grainger in the Region 1-AA semifinals to secure a sectional berth as well as a berth in the Region 1-AA final.
Elizabethton will take on Greeneville on Thursday as the Green Devils picked up a 65-63 victory over Sullivan East.
The Cyclones held all the momentum early.
Michael Robinson and Bo Pless hit early shots for Elizabethton, and Alex Norwood capped off the first quarter scoring as EHS pitched a 9-0 shutout for the first eight minutes. The Grizz got cranking in the second period as they answered a Michael Robinson trey and free throw. The teams traded points for the rest of the quarter, and a Nathan Hayes 3-pointer cut the Elizabethton lead to 20-16 at the half.
Teve Mushayamunda and Pless opened the scoring for Elizabethton in the third quarter, but Grainger slowly cut into the lead. Robinson drained a 3-pointer late in the period as EHS maintained a 33-31 lead heading to the final quarter.
The Grizz took the lead in the fourth quarter, but Pless answered with just over three minutes to play as EHS took the lead for good. An 11-0 run proved to be the winning ingredient for Elizabethton.
Robinson led the Cyclones with 25 points. Pless tallied 14 points, and Norwood tossed in seven points.
Dalton Conn was the leading scorer for Grainger with 18 points.
