Unaka saw the season end in a heartbreaker Saturday night.
The upset-minded Rangers came up short in a 75-70 decision to District 2 top seed Cosby in Region 1-A quarterfinal action on the road at Cosby.
With the win, the Eagles advanced to Tuesday’s semifinals where University School awaits.
Unaka battled from the opening tip.
Marcus Shomaker put the Rangers on the board, but Cosby opened the game on a 6-2 run. Unaka battled back as Aiden Walsh and John Hardin hit back-to-back shots to push Unaka in front with just under three minutes to play in the first.
Cosby, however, went on a 9-3 run to end the quarter to take a 15-10 lead into the second quarter.
The teams traded shots in the early going as the Eagles pushed the lead to 27-15 midway through the quarter.
Walsh and Hardin once again hit back-to-back shots to kickstart a 9-3 Unaka run. The Rangers continued to battle back and trimmed the lead to 36-31 at the break.
The third quarter proved to be a game of runs.
Unaka trimmed the lead to one point with back-to-back shots from Connor McKinney and Shomaker, but Cosby reeled off a 7-2 run. The Rangers answered with five quick points, but the Eagles scored the next 10 points to extend the lead.
Mason Wilson drained a 3-pointer with six seconds left in the quarter as Cosby maintained. a 53-46 lead after three complete quarters.
The Rangers kept battling in the fourth quarter.
After Wilson hit another 3-pointer, the Eagles pushed the lead back out to 10 points before Logan Lewis kickstarted an 11-2 Ranger run to tie things up at 60-60 with 4:07 to play. After the Eagles hit a jumper to break the stalemate, Walsh answered on the other end for UHS.
Cosby scored four straight and then held on in the closing moments to secure the win.
Walsh had 19 points to lead Unaka. Wilson and Shomaker had 12 points apiece, while Lewis finished with eight points. Hardin and McKinney had seven points apiece.
