HOLLY SPRINGS – Corinth scored before the clock even started and remained alive in the Class 3A playoffs with a 79-65 decision over Nettleton on Thursday.

The Warriors (25-6) moved into the semifinal round of the North Half Tournament and will face host Holly Springs (24-4) tonight at 6. Holly ended S.V. Marshall’s 26-game winning streak with a 51-47 decision in the second of four games on Thursday.

Aberdeen got a steal and tip-in at the buzzer in eliminating Ripley 62-60 in Game Three. Cleveland East Side, last year’s North runners-up, and Bailey Magnet played in the late game.

Nettleton (24-5) was assessed with a technical foul prior to the beginning of the game for not having a player listed in the official scorebook. Steven Polk made one of two from the line and Corinth was awarded the ball at side court, nullifying the customary opening tip.

Polk, who scored all but three of his 12 points, in the opening period pushed the lead out to 13-1 with a stickback. CHS hit five of its first eight attempts -- converting on one of the misses -- in jumping out to a quick double-digit lead.

“We came out and asserted ourselves early,” said CHS Head Coach Keith Greene. “I thought that was big.”

Nettleton went scoreless from the floor for just under four minutes, missing two shots and turning the ball over seven times on its first nine possessions.

Corinth closed the first on a 6-0 advantage, taking the first of two 19 point leads -- this one at 24-5 -- in the must-win contest.

Nettleton hung around, outscoring Corinth 16-5 over a three-minute span to pull to within seven late in the first half. A Deonta Herman steal and dish -- one of his six in the first half -- to Jarvis Patterson pushed the advantage back out to double figures at the break.

“When we get a big lead sometimes we don’t stay in sync,” said Greene.

Nettleton would get no closer than eight the rest of the way.

Jacob Walker, who tallied a team-high 20, and Herman combined for 15 points in the third as Corinth took a 56-43 lead into the final period. Walker scored three straight buckets in 1:12 after the Tigers had gotten to within eight late in the third.

Corinth, which finished 32-of-47 (68 percent) from the field, was nearly flawless over the final eight minutes. The Warriors were 10-for-10 from the floor, 3-of-4 from the line and turned the ball over just twice after recording 17 miscues through three quarters.

“We didn’t force a lot of shots or take bad shots ... obviously for us to shoot that high of a percentage,” said Greene. “We shot mostly layups in the fourth quarter.”

Herman scored seven points in the final period -- en route to 18 -- and accounted for 10 more thanks to five of his career-high 14 assists. Shaye Anderson tallied three straight buckets in finishing with eight points off the bench.

Walker had a team-high eight rebounds to go along with his 20 points. Rodrick Gaines tallied an even 10, giving Corinth four players in twin digits.

Nettleton placed three in double figures, headlined by O’darius Lowe’s game-high 21, including 15 of his team’s 36 over the final half.

(B) Corinth 79, Nettleton 64

Nettleton 5 23 16 20 -- 64

Corinth 24 13 19 23 - 79

NETTLETON (64): O’darius Lowe 21, Blake Birks 16, Brandon Jamison 13, Krieg Pounds 9, Joe Chandler 3, Kyle Easley 2.

CORINTH (79): Jacob Walker 20, Deonta Herman 18, Steven Polk 12, Rodrick Gaines 10, Jarvis Patterson 8, Shaye Anderson 8, Eric Richardson 3.

3-pointers: (N) Birks 2, Jamison, Pounds, (C) Polk, Richardson.

Records: Nettleton 24-5, Corinth 25-6.