By Lori Brown
GRAHAMSVILLE — March 4, 2008 — The third-seeded Millbrook Blazers defeated the host No. 2 seed Tri-Valley Bears, 47-43, in a Section IX Class C boys’ basketball semifinal on Thursday night.
Both the Bears and Blazers received first-round byes in the five-team Class C tourney.
Millbrook (10-8) grabbed an early nine-point advantage, but the Bears rallied to tie the game in the third quarter.
T-V, which defeated Millbrook in the 2007 Section IX Class C championship game, finished its season with an 11-9 record.
Senior forward Bo Murphy led the Bears’ offense with a double-double of 19 points and 12 rebounds. Sophomore guard Tim Martin netted eight points for the Bears.
The top scorers for Millbrook were Michael Kahan and Nick Van Benschoten, each of whom had 12 points.
The defeat marked the final scholastic game for five seniors on the Bears’ roster: Kevin Drown, Sean Drown, David McDonald, Brendan Musa and Bo Murphy.