Crosby-Ironton had a strong command of the game from the beginning, but midway through the second half, Breckenridge was drawing closer. The Cowboys' three-point shots were falling, and the Rangers' lead, once as big as 16 points, was down to seven.

But Crosby-Ironton coach David Galovich kept his team calm, calling timeouts to stop Breckenridge's momentum. His plan appeared to have its desired effect and No. 3 Crosby-Ironton (29-2) prevailed with a 64-50 victory on Wednesday at Williams Arena in the Class 2A quarterfinals.

"Games this late in March are never going to be perfect," Galovich said. "[Breckenridge] applied great pressure and there's no question their plan was to wear us down."

The Rangers' Trey Jacobs applied pressure of his own, making 10 of 13 shots from the floor and leading his team with 26 points. Fueled by the senior's hot hand, the Rangers shot 68.4 percent for the game. The Cowboys shot 30.6 percent.

The Rangers were dominant nearly all game, holding the lead for most of the first half and all of the second. They led 31-21 at halftime. After the Cowboys narrowed the margin in the second half, the Rangers finished the game on an 11-5 run.

Senior Noah Gindorff was a force for the Rangers at the rim, leading his team in rebounds with 14, including 10 in the first half. Gindorff completed a double-double in the second half, finishing the game with 15 points. He also had eight blocks.

"We were able to get in position, use our size and length," Gindorff said. "It helped us a lot in the end."

Stevin Lipp led Breckenridge (26-3) with 21 points and three steals. Noah Christensen had 15 points and Carson Yaggie had 10 points.

MIKE HENDRICKSON

Senior Trey Jacobs scored a team-leading 26 points to lead third-seeded Crosby-Ironton (29-2) past Breckenridge 64-50 in the Class 2A quarterfinals Wednesday at Williams Arena.

The Rangers dominated play with strong shooting and defense in winning their first state tournament game since their last appearance in 2010.

Breckenridge (26-3) led 13-12 midway through the first half, but Crosby-Ironton went on a 15-3 run to take a commanding lead in the game. The Rangers, shooting 65 percent, led 31-21 at halftime. Their defense contributed to the Cowboys making just 29 percent of their shots.

Crosby-Ironton’s offense was led by Jacobs, a forward who had a team-leading 14 points at halftime. Breckenridge senior Stevin Lipp had 13 of his team’s 21 points. Lipp finished the game with a team-high 20 points.

The Rangers’ Noah Gindorff had 10 rebounds by the end of the first half. Gindorff completed a double-double in the second half, finishing the game with 15 points.

Check back later for more on the game.

MIKE HENDRICKSON