The Russellville High School boys’ basketball team advanced to the semifinals of the Fourth Region Tournament on Saturday with a 67-55 win over District 15 champion Allen County-Scottsville.

Russellville won its 20th game of the season by knocking out the Patriots – thanks in large part to a strong second half effort.

The Panthers trailed 32-26 at halftime, but they rallied to tie the score by the end of the third period.

In the fourth quarter, Russellville outscored Allen County-Scottsville 19-7 – including scoring the first six points in the period to take control.

Russellville closed out strong as well, ending the game on a 12-1 run.

The win put RHS in Monday’s semifinal against a familiar opponent – Bowling Green High School.

The two teams met in the first round of last year’s Fourth Region Tournament, with BGHS ending the Panthers season on a last-second shot.

The two teams met once in the regular season, with the Purples winning 59-50 on Feb. 17. If the Panthers beat the Purples, they will play in tonight’s championship game at 6 p.m. against either Russell County or District 13 rival Franklin-Simpson.

Russellville played the game against Allen County-Scottsville (21-11) without starting forward Justin Bollenbecker. The junior was injured in an automobile crash last week and will miss the remainder of the season. In his absence, Kevin Temple stepped up to lead Russellville in scoring with 16 points. Trevor Clark added 15 points and D.J. Quarles had 14.

It was the first time the Panthers won a game in the region tournament since 2005, when they beat Barren County in the first round.

The last time the Panthers advanced to the finals of the Fourth Region Tournament was 2001.

That year, they won it all by knocking off Warren Central in the championship game.