Chase Newby and Lane Lazenby each scored 19 points, and Steeleville Elementary outscored Pinckneyville District No. 50 19-4 in the final quarter and a half of the game for a 46-31 win on Nov. 7.
The teams were tied at 27 after a 3-pointer by Pinckneyville's Hunter Riggins with 3:59 left in the third quarter. But a hook shot by Newby and a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Lazenby, his second of buzzer-beater of the game, gave Steeleville a 34-29 lead at the end of the frame.
The Braves (9-3) continued to pour it on to start the fourth. Newby drained a jumper off a pass from Zach Mevert, who added six points for Steeleville, and added a layup with 2:22 remaining to increase the Braves' lead to 42-29.
The first half was a much closer affair, with Pinckneyville taking a 17-11 lead on a 3-pointer by Riggins with 3:14 left in the second quarter.
But Steeleville chipped away from the deficit and pulled within one, 21-20, on a buzzer-beating trey by Lazenby before the halftime break.
The Braves tied it at 22 on a Mevert floater in the lane before taking a 27-24 advantage on a three-point play by Newby with five minutes left in the third.
