Tyrone Appleton broke a 49-49 deadlock with a slashing three-point play to lift SYF to a 56-51 victory over the Murfreesboro Stars.
"That's what Tyrone does -- he just wins," said a smiling SYF Head Coach Wayne Brumm.
After swingman E'twaun Moore deflected a Brandan Wright shot on the defensive end, SYF got the ball back and ran a designed play for Appleton. Appleton streaked toward the basket, caught the inbound pass and was fouled going up for a lay-in.
While the shot missed, Appleton's pair of free throws with 18.9 seconds gave SYF a 54-49 lead and effectively put the game out of reach.
Power/combo forward Jamil Tucker pumped in 16 points and grabbed five rebounds to spearhead the SYF attack. Appleton pitched in 11 points and swingman Greg Hill added 10 for the winners.
Brandan Wright led all scorers with 20 points and also hauled down seven rebounds. He also committed a game high six turnovers. Guard Josh Bone, arguably the Stars' top three point threat, added 18 in the loss.
SYF will square off against the Houston Hoops on Friday morning in a quarterfinal round clash.