The Missouri School for the Deaf Eagles had to hold off a late surge to continue the defense of their Great Plains School for the Deaf tournament title.
The Eagles - seeded No. 4 - toppled the No. 5 Arkansas School for the Deaf Leopards 34-26 in first-round play Thursday at the Iowa School for the Deaf.
MSD (8-7) moves on to face top-seeded Minnesota Academy for the Deaf in semifinal action at 6 tonight. The pairing is a rematch of last year's championship game.
The Eagles led 23-17 entering the fourth quarter Thursday, but a 3-pointer by Arkansas with 2 minutes, 50 seconds remaining drew the Leopards within 27-26. MSD closed the game on a 7-0 run to advance.
After falling behind 10-4 after one quarter, the Eagles outscored the Leopards 9-3 in the second quarter to pull within 13-12 at halftime. MSD went in front by outscoring Arkansas 11-4 in the third quarter
Sophomore guard Ste'Quan Scott paced the Eagles with a game-high 14 points, while picking up seven steals and three rebounds. Junior guard Joseph Allen added eight points and senior forward Benson Goodwin pitched in with six.
Henry Jones' 11 points led Arkansas.