SOUTH PITTSBURG, Tenn. — With all the pressure that comes with region semifinal basketball, no one could blame Grace Academy for getting frustrated Tuesday evening against South Pittsburg.

The Golden Eagles struggled to close the door on the Region 3-A tournament hosts but finally secured a spot in Thursday’s championship game with a 74-60 win.

“It was extremely frustrating,” Grace coach Jon Mattheiss said. “Every time it seemed like we were going to pull away, they’d make a nice run on us. Terrell Robinson and Jiajuan Fennell are just so tough to guard.”

The Pirates trailed by 15 in the first half but narrowed the gap to 43-38 on Malcom Jones’ 3-pointer with 4:22 left in the third quarter. Grace senior Patrick Shaughnessy sat much of the period with foul trouble, but senior Terrell Church scored 11 of his game-high 23 points in the quarter for the Golden Eagles.

“They’re a lot better team than they were the first time we played them,” Church said. “They gave a lot of effort, but we pulled it out in the end. It’s just a blessing for us. We’ve worked hard for this all year, and I think we deserve to be here.”

One of four 3s from Torey Chubb helped South Pittsburg trim its deficit back to single digits with 2:21 left to play, but Grace responded with a three-point play from Shaughnessy and a putback from Taylor Wilson to extend its advantage.

Brandon Herman totaled 17 points for the Golden Eagles (24-5), while Wilson followed with 16 and Shaughnessy scored 11. Grace will face Tennessee Temple for the title on Thursday in a rematch of last week’s District 5 championship game, and the Golden Eagles will play in Monday’s Class A state sectionals for the first time since 2006.

“We’ve gone to the substate four times in the last six years, but it feels like forever since we didn’t go the last two,” Mattheiss said. “The guys were kind of somber in the locker room afterward. We’re happy and pleased that we’re where we want to be, but nobody feels like this is it. We’re still very focused.”

GRACE ACADEMY 74, SOUTH PITTSBURG 60

South Pittsburg 12 14 19 15 — 60

Grace Academy 17 19 20 18 — 74

South Pittsburg (60) — Terrell Robinson 20, Torey Chubb 12, Quick 2, Jones 5, Mitchell, Toney, Jiajuan Fennell 21, Ty Robinson, Mitchell.

Grace Academy (74) — Harper 4, Terrell Church 23, Taylor Wilson 16, Nelson, Schley 1, Brandon Herman 17, Ruebusch, Patrick Shaughnessy 11, Brown, McMasters, Carter 2.

3-point goals: South Pittsburg 5 (Chubb 4, Jones); Grace 5 (Church 4, Herman). Record: Grace 24-5.