Tommy Mason-Griffin led the Madison boys basketball team to a 73-64 win against Cypress Springs in a 5A-Region 3 quarterfinal Tuesday night at the Campbell Center.

With 25 points, Mason-Griffin guided the Marlins (24-9) to a three-point lead in the first and hit a long three-point basket and the end of the second, for a six-point lead at the half.

“We just wanted to keep it close,” Madison coach Craig Maura said. “We felt that if we could keep it close, we could give ourselves an opportunity at the end to win.”

The score remained close in the second half. Both teams scored 20 points in the third and fouled five times.

Cy Springs’ Jon Smith and Daquan Williams scored a total of 17 and Phillip McDonald hit a three near the end to trail by six.

“We just wanted to stop them and that’s what we did,” Mason-Griffin said. “As soon as they shot a three, we were off to the races to the other goal.”

The Panthers (31-7) scored another 20 points in the fourth, but Madison came up big with 23.

“We knew it was going to be tough because they’ve got seniors and experience,” Mason-Griffin said. “We just wanted to stay close and make the last run of the game.”

And the Marlins did just that. They will face Fort Bend Hightower in a regional semifinal Friday night at the Campbell Center.

“That’s going to be another tough one,” Maura said. “I tell my kids that playoff games are nothing more than when you win a game and you get another game. We don’t talk about winning the region or going to Austin. We just take one game at a time.”

Led by Mason-Griffin and Richard Brown, Madison has the chance of moving on the state tournament.

“Every since our last five ball games, we’ve come together as a team,” Maura said. “We’ve overcome a lot of adversity and the kids are pulling for one another. They are following Tommy and Richard’s lead. Right now, everyone is playing their role and accepting their part.”

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