BERNIE, Mo. -- The Holcomb High school varsity basketball team bounced back nicely from their opening loss to East Prairie with a 63-58 win over the Risco Tigers Thursday night.

In semifinal action later Thursday, it was top-seeded Bernie downing Bloomfield 69-60 and No. 2 East Prairie holding off Puxico 49-48.

In the first quarter, both teams struggled to find any rhythm on offense with Risco outscoring Holcomb 14-10. This was due in large part to a contrast in offensive styles as Holcomb tried to force the ball inside to Heath Murdock while Risco focusing more on the perimeter and the guard play of Kyle White and Matt Smith.

As the game progressed, the Hornets saw their lone two returning varsity players, Heath Murdock and Chad Adams, step up and lead on both ends of the floor. The two combined for 17 second-quarter points allowing them to take a 36-30 lead into the locker rooms at halftime.

First-year coach Seth McBroom's squad came out strong in the third quarter outscoring the Tigers by eight points to add to their lead. Junior Lucas Fuller was impressive in the second half and finished with a personal season-best 12 points along with strong defensive play.

However, the Tigers owned the fourth quarter outscoring Holcomb 23 to 14 to make a run at the Hornets.

The young Holcomb team faced impressive depth from the Risco bench who scored a combined 19 points including a team leading 11 from senior guard, Justin Brant. Risco's balanced attack included baskets from eight different players.

"It felt good, the kids really played hard and earned that victory tonight," said McBroom. "It was really physical, and I was proud to see the kind of effort our kids gave from start to finish. I'm excited about the chance to play a Campbell team that is very well coached tomorrow night."

Other Hornets contributing to the offensive effort included juniors Daniel Tapia and Chase Branch with eight and four points, respectively. The Hornets will resume tournament play Friday night against the rival Campbell Camels.