Maplesville earned itself a spot in the semifinal round of the Chilton County Basketball Tournament by defeating Isabella on Wednesday, 38-27.

Isabella succeeded in turning the contest into a physical, grinding affair but didn’t have enough firepower to win.

The Mustangs’ leading output was eight points (James Smith and Sawyer Cahalane), while Maplesville got 16 points from Antony Johnson and 13 from Matt Hamner.

Still, IHS held its rivals to only four points (all scored by Johnson) in the third period and trailed by five, 24-19, with one quarter left.

Isabella led most of the first period, until a Hamner put-back at the buzzer tied the score at 9.

MHS went on a 8-1 run to begin the second period that culminated with a Hamner breakaway lay-in made possible by a Casey Atchison steal on the other end.

The game was originally scheduled for Monday but was postponed because Chilton County schools were closed in anticipation of travel difficulties associated with winter weather.

So, the Red Devils will play Thorsby, which is coming off a first-round bye, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday on no days rest instead of two days, if the tournament had begun as planned.