LINCOLN, Neb. — Ashland-Greenwood used a big third quarter to get separation and defeat Cozad 60-45 on Wednesday morning.

The victory vaults the #5 Bluejays to the Class C-1 semifinals for the fourth-straight season. The #4 Haymakers end the season 24-4 after making the state tournament for the first time since 2014.

The teams traded blows early and A-G led by three points at halftime. They finished the third quarter on a 6-0 run to lead by 11 going to the final quarter. The Bluejays held Cozad’s leading scorer, Noah Shoemaker, scoreless for the first three quarters.

Ashland-Greenwood will play #1 Lincoln Lutheran in the semifinals on Friday at 9:00 a.m. at Pinnacle Bank Arena. You can watch the game on News Channel Nebraska.

Ashland-Greenwood… 12, 16, 15, 17 = 60

Cozad…………10, 15, 7, 13 = 45

A-G: Tonjes 17, Kissinger 16, Westerhold 14, Mohs 8, Fangmeyer 4, Johnson 1

Cozad: Hoffmaster 12, Davis 10, K. Shoemaker 10, N. Shoemaker 5, Fales 3, Atchison 3, Strauss 2