CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A regular-season win over South Charleston jump-started Cabell Midland's season in January.

On Tuesday night, the Black Eagles exacted revenge when it mattered the most.

South Charleston led wire-to-wire in a 60-45 win during the Class AAA, Region IV boys basketball final at the South Charleston Community Center.

"They got every loose ball and played inspired basketball," Cabell Midland coach Curry Haggerty said. "We were in trouble from the start. We just got whipped in every phase."

The win puts South Charleston in next week's state tournament while Cabell Midland's season ends at 17-10.

The Black Eagles led by as many as 19 following a layup to open the fourth quarter, but the Knights went on an 8-0 run to cut the lead to 11 and gain momentum.

As was the case throughout the night, South Charleston got a big 3-pointer to extinguish the rally. The Black Eagles hit nine 3-pointers on the evening.

"I've said all year that our margin for error is small," Haggerty said. "When you have an opportunity like this with what's at stake, you have to take advantage of it and we didn't."

The contest was tight throughout the first half, but South Charleston used an 11-0 run in the third quarter to extend its lead to 41-25 following a rebound and layup by Myrelle Harris.

In addition to his offense, Harris' defense on Midland's Matt Walker was the difference during the run.

Walker got hot from long range in the second quarter, but the combination of Harris and Perry Henry suffocated him throughout the third and the Knights were unable to get on track offensively.

"We went back to our defense with those two guys on Walker and they scored three points in the third quarter," South Charleston coach Vic Herbert said. "They are pretty good to have on someone to shut them down when they are on the ball getting after it. When we defend like we've defended the last three games, we're hard to handle."

The Black Eagles took a 30-24 lead into the locker room after jumping out to a quick lead and hitting six of their nine 3-pointers in the first half.

Both teams put on a 3-point shooting clinic in the second quarter with Cabell Midland's Matt Walker and South Charleston's Josh Hudson each hitting three from deep.

Each time it appeared that Hudson would lead the Black Eagles out to an extended lead, Walker would answer with a deep triple of his own.

Walker scored 14 points in the last game of his Cabell Midland career and was joined by Trent Porter for team-high honors.

South Charleston opened the game on a 9-0 run as Cabell Midland could not find its range from the field.

An offensive rebound and putback from Naylon Dailey gave the Knights their first basket with 2:58 left in the first quarter.

Dailey's presence on the offensive glass resulted in second-chance opportunities that helped give Cabell Midland some offensive confidence after its sluggish start. He finished with eight points, along with teammate Michael Brumfield.

South Charleston featured a balanced attack with Henry's 13 points leading the way. Josh Hudson hit four 3-pointers for 12 points and Jaron Marino added 10.

CABELL MIDLAND 6 18 3 18 - 45: Walker 14, Porter 14, Brumfield 8, Dailey 8, Epperly 1.

SOUTH CHARLESTON 14 16 14 16 - 60: Henry 13, Hudson 12, Marino 10, Beatty 9, Harris 8, Elmore 6, Gordon 2.

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