ENGLEWOOD, Tenn. - Red Bank's boys' basketball team will get a rematch - again.
The Lions blistered McMinn Central 81-55 in a Region 3-AA quarterfinal Saturday night, setting up another game with the Central Purple Pounders. They'll play that regional semifinal at 6 p.m. Tuesday at East Ridge.
Red Bank has lost to Central three times this season, by margins of four points, three points and two points - in that order.
"We'll see what we can do this time," Lions coach Nick Fike said. "Hopefully it won't be a loss by one."
The game at McMinn Central never had any possibility of being a close contest.
Red Bank (17-13) raced out to a 10-point lead in the opening minutes and closed the first quarter on 10-3 run to end the period ahead 23-9.
"We had a great start because we were ready," said Lions guard Kolbi Suttles, who finished with 22 points. "We were sharing the ball and rebounding, too."
Fellow guard Malik McConnell led Red Bank with 27 points, including four 3-pointers, while Will Davis added 10 before fouling out.
Bryce Mason led McMinn Central with 17 points. Jordan Carter added 14.
But the Chargers, known for their 3-point accuracy, trailed early because they were missing their mark on shots. They scored their first field goal on a 3 by Carter with less than two minutes to play in the first quarter.
"We missed shots early, and it continued," McMinn Central coach Doug Armstrong said. "Things didn't fall for us early. It all centered around us not shooting well, and (Red Bank) did a good job on the boards."
The Lions - with McConnell hitting a deep 3-pointer or making a crossover move and stopping to pop another one of his treys - led 29-9 with more than four minutes remaining until halftime. They were up 39-14 at the break.
"We started off fast and got a good pace," Red Bank forward Tra'Dyal Autry said. "We played the second half like we played in the first."
The Lions led 62-32 after three quarters, and both teams substituted regularly in the final eight minutes.
"We play loose and push the pace and make shots," Armstrong said. "We didn't do that tonight. I hadn't seen us shell-shocked all season."
The Chargers ended their season 19-12.
The Lions now prepare for Central (18-5), which beat Sweetwater 83-48 on Saturday night.
"I'm pleased, but there are things to hem up," Fike said. "Credit our guard play, and we did a really good job on the boards, too."
Contact David Uchiyama at duchiyama@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6484. Follow him on Twitter @UchiyamaCTFP