NORTH BRANCH - Mar. 15, 2010 - Pinconning's giant killers proved they were no fluke.

The Spartans weren't able to knock off second-ranked, defending state champion Flint Powers in Monday's regional semifinal, but the they certainly made the Chargers work for their 51-41 victory.

Pinny controlled the tempo throughout the first half, battled back from an early 8-0 deficit to trail 14-8 after one quarter. Casey Pashak's game-tying layup capped a 14-6 run and tied the game at 14-14 before the Spartans settled for trailing 19-18 at halftime.

The Chargers finally put their stamp on the game in the third quarter as DeMarco Sanders exploded for 15 of his 17 points as Powers opened up a 36-27 lead. Powers also locked down the paint defensively: offensively, Pinny managed only 3-pointers by Dylan Marquiss, Travis Garbulinski and Pashak in the third, while holding center Lucas Foco to two points in the second half after he scored 12 before halftime.

Sanders finished with a game-high 17 points, with Patrick Lucas-Perry adding 15. The Chargers (21-3) take on Swan Valley, a 70-53 victor over Yale, in Wednesday's regional title contest.

Pashak finished with 16 points and Foco added 12 as the Spartans wrapped up a 19-5 campaign. Pinny claimed plenty of hardware, including its second straight NEMC title and its first district championship since 1986. The Spartans' four post-season games came against teams with a combined record of 55-20, including a 10-10 Essexville Garber squad.