Conference rivals Nashville and Pinckneyville picked up regional semifinal wins Tuesday night and will meet for a third time this season Thursday night in the girls basketball Sparta 2A Regional finals.

Pinckneyville 67, Red Bud 46
A strong second half performance propelled Pinckneyville past Red Bud 67-46 Tuesday night and into the regional championship game.
Leading 28-26 at the break, the Lady Panthers outscored Red Bud 39-20 in the second half for the 21-point decision.
“We attacked a lot better in the second half,” said Pinckneyville coach Alan Engelhardt. “In the first half, we were able to shoot the three-pointer well and in the second half, we did a good job of getting the ball inside against the zone.”
Pinckneyville made five three-pointers in the opening quarter and Taylor Cicardi scored eight points for a 25-17 lead.
Red Bud freshman Ali Ringering scored eight points in the first quarter to lead Red Bud’s attack.
With several players in foul trouble, Red Bud switched to a zone defense looking to slow down the Pinckneyville offense.
With Cicardi out of the game due to illness, Pinckneyville held the ball for several minutes without attempting a shot. However, a run of four consecutive turnovers by the Lady Panthers, allowed Red Bud to outscore them 9-3 in the quarter to trail 28-26 at the half.
Ringering and Tori Albert each had four points for the Lady Musketeers in the second quarter.
The rest Cicardi got in the second quarter proved pivotal in the second half, as the senior scored 10 points in the third quarter.
“Cicardi is a great finisher around the basket,” said Engelhardt. “When we attacked the zone, she did a great job of getting in the right position and scoring.”
Red Bud on the other hand, went ice cold in the third period, making just 3-of-16 shots from the field. Pinckneyville outscored Red Bud 17-8 in the quarter for a 45-34 lead.
The Lady Musketeers were never able to make a run to get back in the game in the fourth quarter, as Pinckneyville pulled away for the win.
Cicardi finished with 23 points, while Maddy Keith had 17 to lead Pinckneyville.
Ringering and Albert each had 14 to pace the Lady Musketeers, who did not have a senior on the roster.
With the win, the Lady Panthers will look to find a way to get past Nashville after falling to them twice in the regular season.
“Against Nashville, we have to get the game fast-paced somehow,” said Engelhardt. “We can’t play a half-court game with them, we have to look to push the pace.”

Nashville 61, Sparta 28
Sparta was able to battle the state-ranked Nashville Hornettes throughout the first half, but Nashville’s famed defense took over in the second half for a 61-28 win Tuesday evening.
The Hornettes held the Lady Bulldogs to just nine points in the second including outscoring them 19-0 in the third.
Nashville looked prime to run away with the game early on after holding Sparta to just four points in the opening quarter.
Leading 9-4, Nashville finished the first quarter with a 10-0 run for a commanding 19-4 advantage.
Sparta was just 2-of-9 from the field in the opening quarter and turned the ball over six times.
As Nashville held back its full-court press, Sparta was able to find a way back in the game. Jessica Robinson scored nine points in the quarter, as the Lady Bulldogs cut the lead down to five points with two minutes to play in the half.
Nashville, however, was able to close the half with a 5-1 scoring run for a 28-19 lead at the half.
Nashville came out with a different intensity to start the second half, as the team, quickly scored the first seven points of the quarter to push the lead up to 35-19.
Sparta wasn’t able to find any rhythm offensively, going 0-of-7 from the floor with nine turnovers. The 19-0 run through the third quarter by Nashville gave the Hornettes a commanding 47-19 lead heading into the fourth.
Nashville put the game away in the fourth, outscoring Sparta 14-9 for the 33-point decision.
Robinson finished with 17 points to lead Sparta, while Melanie Rhine led a balanced Nashville attack with 12.
With the win, Nashville advances to face conference rival Pinckneyville in the regional finals Thursday night.

Sparta 52, Du Quoin 34
Trailing 20-17 at halftime, Sparta rallied to outscore Du Quoin 13-3 in the third and 22-11 in the fourth to run away for a 52-34 victory Monday night in the opening round of the girls basketball Sparta 2A Regional tournament.
Jessica Robinson scored a game-high 29 points to lead Sparta, while teammate Jade Vaughn added 11.
With the win, the Lady Bulldogs advanced to take on top-seeded and state-ranked Nashville Hornettes.