Grand Rapids Catholic Central scored 33 points in the third quarter Thursday in an 81-55 win over Ferndale in a division two state semifinal game at Van Andel Arena.
The Cougars trailed (44-42) late in the third quarter before scoring the final six points of the frame and then the first 22 of the fourth to lead 70-44 with 3:25 remaining in the game.
"We all bounce off each other we bounce off our teammates, our opponents too," Cougars junior Jack Karasinksi said. "Once we get a good shot we just keep on rolling. Its gonna come down to toughness again. Our motto is defend rebound run and that's what we are gonna have to do to close this one up.
KK Brown led CC with 23 points, Jorden Brooks scored 20 and Karasinski added 19.
"It's easy when you have a group that takes pride in celebrating their teammates," head coach TJ Meerman said. "That's what we do really well. We've had district and regional games where Ryan Grantham, Luka Ressler helped carry us. Kaden Brown has had a fantastic year as a sophomore guard for us as well."
Catholic Central (19-0) advances to play Pennfield in Saturday's state final at 5:30 p.m. at the Breslin Center.
