HINTON 54, CENTRAL DECATUR 45

Hinton made the sure shots to win a matchup of unbeatens in Class 2A play.

Mackenzie Small led the way with 24 points as sixth-ranked Hinton pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat No. 9 Central Decatur 54-45 on Tuesday.

Hinton concentrated on getting the ball inside or driving to the basket and it paid off. The Blackhawks' first 17 field goals came on layups or putbacks. Their only perimeter field goal came when Abby Hageman hit a 3-pointer with 2:17 left in the game.

Small complemented her scoring with nine rebounds, four assists and three steals. Britni Freed added 14 points and seven rebounds for Hinton, which takes a 25-0 record into Thursday's semifinal round.

Taylor Smith led Central Decatur 17 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Sami Stogdill scored eight and Sara Lincoln added seven for Central Decatur, which reached the state tournament for just the second time in school history. The Cardinals finished 25-1.

In a back-and-forth game, Central Decatur took its last lead at 32-31 when Smith scored on a drive late in the third quarter. Hinton then went on a 14-3 run to take control, opening a 45-35 lead with 3 minutes to play. Before that, neither team had led by more than four points.

Lincoln's layup after Smith's steal drew Central Decatur to 50-45 with 45 seconds left, but the Cardinals could get no closer and Hinton scored the game's final four points.