CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Kirkwood Cobras and Henry County Patriots met up on Tuesday night for the region 7-4A tournament semifinals. A close game at the half, the Cobras stifled the Patriots defensively to run away with a 68-45 win, advancing to their second straight region title game, where they will face Rossview on Thursday night.

The Cobras couldn’t get many shots to fall early on, partially because of Henry County’s size and athleticism, but also because a few key players entered foul trouble early.

Kirkwood’s Aaron Hines began to crash the offensive glass to get a run going, scoring eight of his ten points in the second quarter. Then, thanks to the Cobras’ fast and physical defense, they held an eight-point lead at the half.

“We knew we were going to play hard, but I wasn’t sure if we were going to get a rebound with their size,” said Cobras head coach John Stigall. “Just like all year, they found a way to get rebounds, I’m still not really sure. We got through a period where things weren’t going our way, and I think playing two teams that we haven’t played all year is an advantage, because you can prepare for us, but not how fast we do what we do.”

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The second half was a completely different story, as the Cobras fired on all cylinders. A 10-0 third-quarter run all but put the game out of reach, punctuated by a thunderous alley-oop dunk from Armani Smith, who led all scorers with 22 points.

Kirkwood guard Bryce Garnett also surpassed 1,000 career points with his 10 points scored, and freshman Travis Rivers chipped in with 14 points of his own and a few steals.

Next up, it’s round four of the Battle of Exit 8, but this time, it’s for a region title. The Cobras have never won a region championship in school history, and they’re looking to take that next step.

“We’ve got 24 wins, won 14 in a row, but we’ve got one more job to finish. In order to finish that job, we have to win on Thursday night, and they know that,” Stigall told Clarksville Now.

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