MURFREESBORO -- South Greene Coach Derek Dyer had been looking for a game when his Lady Rebels would shoot the basketball the way he thinks they are capable of shooting.

He found what he was looking for Wednesday night here at Murphy Center in the TSSAA State Tournament. The Rebels shot 57 percent from the floor and rolled over Polk County 73-53 to advance to the "final four" in the state in Class AA.

They will play Gibson County, the team that eliminated them at this same stage a year ago, on Friday at 2 p.m.

The Rebels got another stellar performance from senior Brandi Crum, who led the way with 21 points and eight rebounds. Crum hit 8-of-11 shots from the floor. She got great help from junior Ansley Ricker, who scored 17, and freshman Maelyn Cutshaw, who netted 16. Senior Rechelle Dye had five points, five rebounds and five assists. Junior post Shelby Hicks scored six but got in foul trouble, and her replacement, Ashley Tweed, also scored six.

"We got started slow," Dyer said of his Rebels, who made only 6-of-16 from the floor in the first quarter but then warmed up considerably. "Brandi made some (8 points in the first quarter), then it sort of went from there. I thought in the second half we shot really well."

For the game, South Greene hit 29-of-51 shots (57 percent), and made 6-of-11 from behind the arc. That type of shooting was just too much for the Wildkittens of Polk County, veteran Coach Ron Davis said.

"We thought if we could keep it close we'd have a chance at the end," noted Davis, coaching his final game after a career that spans 42 year. "We knew Ricker was a good shooter. But Crum really hurt us. We didn't expect that from her. They shot 57 percent? That's hard to come back from, especially when you miss free throws like we did."

Polk County made only 14-of-29 free tosses in the game. The Rebs hit 9-of-12.

Crum said extra shooting work has paid off for her in the post-season.

"I've been practicing a lot on my outside shots," she said. "I knew I had to shoot well down here to help out my team."

Playing on this floor last year was a help to the Rebels, Ricker said.

"I haven't shot on this court in a year, but I think playing here last year did help," she said. "I remember I really had trouble handling it last year."

Despite a lackluster first quarter, the Rebs were up 16-15 at the horn. The lead see-sawed until a bucket from the wing by Ricker gave South Greene a 21-19 advantage, and they never trailed again. A layup by Ricker to close out the half sent South Greene to the locker room up 35-27.

A 3-pointer by Stephanie Qualls cut the lead to 42-37 with 4:55 left in the third. But South Greene really caught fire at that point. Ricker nailed a trey to start a 14-3 run that had Polk County calling time out down 56-40. The Rebs scored nine points in less than a minute, converting two turnovers into quick layups and using their transition offense for easy points.

Hollie German, who led all scorers in the game with 24 points, kept the Wildkittens close, making two threes to close out the third and getting the deficit back down to 10 points at 59-49.

German made a free throw to start the fourth and get it down to single numbers at 59-50, but the Rebs went on another of their patented runs, using an 8-0 spurt highlighted by a 3-point play from Tweed and layups off transition by Crum and Ricker to make it a 67-50 lead with 5:15 left.

All the Rebs had to do from that point was to play some keep-away, and Dyer was able to get all the subs in the game down the stretch.

"We outrebounded them 34-26, and I think that was key," Dyer said. "I've been preaching rebounding for three months and since the tourneys started we've done a much better job."

To have a chance to beat talented Gibson County, Dyer knows his girls must hit the glass hard.

"They beat us last year and they're just as good as they were then," Dyer said. "The Butler girl (Amanda) is just a phenomenal player. We played with them for three quarters last year and then got down by 8 or 10. If we can rebound with them, I like our chances."

Dye, who signed early with Belmont University, likes what she sees in her team.

"I feel good about where we are," she said. "We were excited early and the adrenaline was really flowing. But we settled down and played pretty well."

The Rebels advance with a 27-6 record. Polk County finishes the year at 28-6.