By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

The No. 2 Advance Hornets and No. 3 Puxico Indians kicked off the JV bracket Semifinals at the 2012 SCAA Tournament. The Hornets took control of the contest early, and despite surges by the Tribe in the second and fourth quarters, advanced to the Championship game with a 63-49 final score.

The Hornets opened up a 14-2 run (eight unanswered) to open the contest. Ronnie Weagner dropped in a bucket for the Indians at the 2:03 mark, and Zach Tucker came up with a steal and bucket to bring the score to 14-4 with just over a minute left in the first, but the Hornets held a 16-6 lead heading into the second quarter.

The contest got incredibly physical in the paint during the second quarter; Tucker showed great post moves throughout, and earned four hard-fought points for the Indians because of it. The Indians defense sprung to life late in the frame, and they cut Advance's lead to 26-22 at halftime.

Zane Eggilmann knocked down a three for the Hornets to open the second half; a five point effort from Eli Seger helped Advance build back to the 10 point lead that they carried through the end of the third quarter.

The Indians battled back within five points at the 4:04 mark of the fourth quarter, thanks to a three from Seth Luttrell and a six point effort from Tucker, but the Hornets pushed back to their double digit lead. Advance took the victory with a 63-49 final score.

Ben Trout led the Hornets with 16 points; Eggilmann added 12, while Dalton Wilson and Seger both had 11.

The Tribe was led by Tucker with 16 points; Cory Pratt and Weagner added eight apeice.

Advance will move on to the JV Finals, played at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The Indians will be in the third-place game, which tips at 4:00 p.m.