FOX CHAPEL — Freeport boys basketball coach Mike Beale knew his team would go as far as the starting five would take them.

In Tuesday's WPIALClass AA second-round playoff game against Beaver Falls, that proved to be deep into the fourth quarter before dropping an 82-73 decision to the Tigers at Fox Chapel High School.

With Cory Massart out with an ankle injury suffered in Saturday's first-round victory over South Fayette, Nate Kotecki, Chris Tagmyer, Brian Zimmerman, Justin Bollinger and Brady Sherrieb made up the starting five and never left the floor for a breather.

Freeport trailed 51-50 late in the third quarter before a 12-2 run surged the Tigers to an 11-point lead (63-52) with 4:48 remaining in the game.

The Yellowjackets (13-9) pulled to within five points on three occasions, the last with 71-66 with 1:21 left, but could get no closer.

"Fatigue set us back a little," said Beale. "Heart can carry you so far. ... Not having Massart might have made a difference.

"It's tough to put someone else out on the court and going at that speed. You have to be in there a while. They wore us down," Beale added.

The Tigers' two-headed monster of sophomore Todd Thomas (19.9 points per game) and junior David Phillips (15.5) combined for 51 points, 39 of which came in the second half.

Throw in junior Kenny Cottman's 20 points, and it's apparent where the Tigers' strengths lie.

"We knew Phillips and Thomas were big players. We seemed to control them in the first half," said Beale. "In the second half, they seemed to take it up to the next level."

"They're both slashers," said Freeport senior forward Brian Zimmerman. "They beat us down the court on some fast breaks and made some easy baskets."

Freeport held a 28-27 advantage after a first half that saw nine lead changes.

With the score tied at 30 early in the third quarter, the Tigers went on an 11-2 run — highlighted by three baskets by Phillips — for a 41-32 lead.

Not to be outdone, the Yellowjackets answered with a 13-4 spurt, fueled by two 3-pointers by Sherrieb and one by Kotecki, to knot the game at 45 with 2:12 left in the quarter.

A pair of free throws by Thomas gave Beaver Falls a lead it would not give up. Phillips followed up with a basket for a four-point Tigers lead, but Sherrieb struck again with another trey to make it a 49-48 game with 1:37 left in the third.

The Tigers then scored 12 of the next 14 points to gain some breathing room and to hold off any hopes of a Yellowjackets' comeback.

Sherrieb led the Yellowjackets with 24 points, including 21 in the second half, Zimmerman added 22 and Kotecki chipped in with 10. Tagmyer and Bollinger had nine and eight points, respectively.

Freeport had six seniors on this year's team — Kotecki, Massart, Zimmerman, Sherrieb, Kotecki and Matt Giesler — and Beale was emotional about the end of their basketball careers with the Yellowjackets.

"It's hard to see these seniors go," said Beale. "They've been together four years and laid it on the line. ... I couldn't be more proud of these kids."

FREEPORT 73Nate Kotecki 4 0-0 10, Chris Tagmyer 4 0-2 9, Brian Zimmerman 9 4-6 22, Justin Bollinger 40-1 8, Brady Sherrieb 6 7-8 24.

Totals: 27 11-17 73.

BEAVER FALLS 82Todd Thomas 10 8-10 28, David Phillips 9 4-4 23, Brock VanLier 1 0-0 2, Kenny Cottman 9 2-3 20, Steve Fox 1 0-0 2, Travon Cleckley 0 0-0 0, Kendall Dreher 1 0-0 2, Dak Mobley 0 0-0 0, Brandon Rue 1 2-4 5.

Totals: 32 16-21 82.

Freeport 11 17 22 23—73Beaver Falls 14 13 27 28—823-point goals: Sherrieb 5, Kotecki 2, Tagmyer; Phillips, Rue