Mekeel Christian and Briarcliff staged an epic Class B state boys basketball semifinal on Friday night in Binghamton. The Section 2 champion Lions rallied from eight points down in the fourth quarter and eventually handed Briarcliff a heartbreaking 68-61 defeat at Floyd Maines Arena in Binghamton.

Deonte Holder scored 25 points while Jordan Jackson and Carter Stewart each dropped 15 as Mekeel advanced to the Class B state final on Saturday night against Seton Catholic.

Spencer McCann scored 17 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked four shots to earn all-tournament honors for the Bears, who had shot at the buzzer at the end of regulation and the first overtime that didn’t fall.

Jack Ryan, Jackson Gonseth and Miles Jones each scored 14 in the loss. Jones had five steals and four assists and Gonseth had nine rebounds and three blocks.

Mekeel dominated on the glass, outrebounding Briarcliff by a 48-31 margin. The Lions had 19 offensive rebounds.

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