Lyman Ward took an early 10-5 lead following a basket with three seconds left in the opening quarter.

The Rangers stretched their lead to seven points, 12-5, early in the second quarter before the Chargers responded with a 9-0 run to take a 14-12 lead following Smith’s basket with 1:34 left in the opening half.

Lyman Ward scored a basket late in the second quarter to send both teams into the locker room at halftime tied 14-14.

The Rangers knocked down a 3-pointer early in the third quarter to take a three-point lead, 19-16, before Cornerstone Christian took control of the game with a dominating 12-0 run to end the third period. Conwell scored seven of his nine points during the run.

The Chargers pushed their lead to double digits for the first time midway through the fourth quarter following a jumper by Moore, which gave Cornerstone Christian a 23-21 lead with 4:21 left in the game.

The Rangers cut the deficit to nine points following a basket with 1:00 remaining in the game, but Lyman Ward couldn’t get any closer down the stretch.

Despite the offensive output in the second half, Smith credited his team’s defense for sending the Chargers back to the championship game.

“We preach defense,” Smith said. “If you give up only 25 points, you’re going to win most high school basketball games.”