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By KEVIN ECKLEBERRY

Daily News

TYRONE – The Troup Tigers made things interesting for a while before a strong Sandy Creek team pulled away for an 83-54 victory on Friday night in the semifinals of the Region 5-AAAA tournament.

The Tigers were within 10 points late in the third quarter, and they stayed within shouting distance for a while in the final quarter before the Patriots pulled away.

Troup will play LaGrange in the third-place game at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, and both teams will be on the road next week for the first round of the state tournament.

Gabe Cofield led Troup with 10 points, Isaiah Cox scored nine points, and Gabe Stepp had eight points.

Jabari Smith had 32 points for Sandy Creek.

Sandy Creek surged to a 23-12 lead after the first quarter, but Troup went on an 11-1 run at the start of the second quarter to tie it at 24-24.

At the half, the Patriots led 41-33.

The Tigers hung around for most of the third quarter, and the Patriots were on top 63-50 as the final quarter began.

Sandy Creek outscored Troup 20-4 in the fourth quarter.