ARLINGTON – For three quarters, the Cleburne boys held on against a tall, physical Lancaster team.

But the Yellow Jackets slowly let the Tigers build a lead in the fourth quarter, eventually losing a 50-38 Class 4A Region II quarterfinal game at Arlington Martin.

"They had a stretch there where they got baskets, maybe easy baskets, and we couldn’t make a shot," Cleburne head coach Lyle Lackey said. "They stretched that lead out to seven or eight. When they got that big lead we couldn’t come back."

Lancaster (27-6) moves on to the 4A Region II semifinal game at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the Garland Special Events Center and will play either Highland Park or Sherman.

Cleburne (26-6) and Lancaster battled throughout the game, each pressing hard and playing harassing defense. Lackey said his team was ready for that kind of intense play after navigating a tough District 16-4A schedule.

"We had some tough district games," Lackey said. "I feel like our kids were prepared tonight. We’d been against that athleticism, we’d been against that type of speed and I thought our kids battled their guts out. They gave all their effort, and that’s all we ask."

Versatile Cleburne forward Ethan Anderson did everything he could to extend Cleburne’s season. The senior led the Yellow Jackets in scoring with 20, while also running some point guard and banging the boards.

In the end, Cleburne had a tough time overcoming Lancaster’s height in posts Michale Kyser (6-7) and John Bohannon (6-8). Both were terrors underneath the basket, while Kyser also racked up 12 points.

"It was a struggle," Lackey said. "You’ve got to knock shots down on the outside whenever you are going up against height like that. But we weren’t knocking them down, so the kids did what we’ve done all year, which is go to the basket, and every time we got there somebody was swatting it away."

Cleburne also had a tough night from the free-throw line, which Lackey said helped keep the Yellow Jackets from keeping up with Lancaster in the second half.

"It hurt us last week, and we got away with it," Lackey said. "We just couldn’t do that tonight. We needed those free throws and we didn’t make them. And that’s going to happen."