The Tigers earned the district championship with a 54-35 victory, their third of the season against Warner. Central snapped a five-game losing streak in the process and improved to 13-10 on the season.
Playing without top scorer Jeremy Cheater, the Tigers were also hampered by foul trouble as starters Preston Postoak and Ricky Corbit went to the bench early in the first quarter.
Corbit returned to score a team-high 13 points while Andy Edwards came off the bench to add 12 for the Tigers. Josh Randolph scored 10, Jose Tarin six, Postoak six, Josh Blackbird five and Skyler Rogers two.
Warner was led by Tye Weaver's 14 points.
Central led 7-4 after eight minutes of play, but used a 17-9 surge in the second quarter to seize an 11-point halftime advantage.
The Tigers extended their lead to 19 by the start of the fourth quarter while booking a spot in the winners bracket of this week's regional tournament. They'll play Vian at 8 p.m. Thursday at Warner.
Warner 67, Central 49 (Girls)
The Lady Eagles pulled away from Central to open the Class 2A playoffs with a district championship on Friday night.
Central slipped to 9-14 with the setback and will face Vian in a regional losers bracket game at 1:30 p.m. Thursday at Warner.
