MARYVILLE, Tenn. - Belhaven punched its ticket to the CCS Championship game Friday evening with an 85-73 victory over Huntingdon at the Cooper Athletic Center. The Blazers used timely three-point shooting, interior defense, and a decisive second-half run to improve to 15-12 overall and advance to tomorrow's championship matchup against No. 4 seed LaGrange at 2:00 PM.

The tournament is hosted by Maryville, who was upset by LaGrange on the opposite side of the bracket.  

Belhaven came out aggressive on both ends. CJ Minton opened the scoring with a jumper, then knocked down a transition three to give the Blazers an early 10-4 lead.

Huntingdon responded behind Marcus Townsend, who scored in the paint twice to trim the margin to four. But Belhaven answered with its first significant stretch of the night. Dan Robinson connected on a jumper, Minton buried another three, and Christian McGahan scored inside to extend the lead to 17-6 midway through the half.

The Hawks chipped away behind threes from Myles Murphy and Owen LaRocca. LaRocca's three at the 6:35 mark cut the deficit to 26-20, and another three from Murphy later trimmed it to 28-26.

Belhaven steadied itself with strong play inside. Charleston Wallace converted a tip-in, Dyllion Redmond added a pair of paint finishes, and Benjamin Stewart capped the half with a layup at the buzzer to send the Blazers into the locker room with a 36-32 advantage.

Huntingdon shot just 32.5 percent in the first half, while Belhaven controlled the glass with 25 rebounds in the opening 20 minutes.

The Hawks opened the second half with urgency. Townsend hit a three, and Murphy converted inside to briefly give Huntingdon a 43-41 lead at the 17:15 mark.

Belhaven responded immediately.

Robinson tied the game with a driving layup, then followed with a jumper. Moments later, Minton drilled a three from the wing to spark a 12-0 surge that flipped momentum back to the Blazers.

After LaRocca knocked down a three to trim the margin to four at 53-49, Belhaven answered with its most important stretch of the game. Stewart buried back-to-back threes, Robinson scored twice in the paint, and Wallace added a tip-in to push the lead to 68-58 with just under eight minutes remaining.

Huntingdon continued to battle behind Murphy and Townsend, cutting the lead to eight on multiple occasions, including a LaRocca three with 1:59 to play.

But Belhaven closed the door at the free throw line.

Stewart converted a pair of free throws, Minton added two more, and Wallace sank both of his attempts in the final minute to extend the lead back to double digits. A late three from LaRocca accounted for the final margin as the Blazers secured the 85-73 semifinal victory.

The Blazers now advance to the CCS Championship game on Sunday at 2:00 PM, where they will face No. 4 seed LaGrange for the conference title.

For the latest news on Belhaven Blazers athletics, follow @BelhavenBlazers on Twitter and Instagram, and like us on Facebook. To support Belhaven Athletics check out Team Green Giving.