Russellville's Barrett Croslin covers his face with his jersey as he leaves the court following Friday night's Region 4 tournament game against Russell County at E. A. Diddle Arena, March 1, 2013 in Bowling Green, Ky. Russell County won 72-69. (Photo by Nathan Morgan/Daily News)

Russell County’s Tyler Robertson was right at home on the big stage Friday night.

The senior guard poured in 38 points, pushing the Lakers (26-5) to a second-half surge and a 72-69 win over Russellville in the boys’ Region 4 Tournament semifinals at E.A. Diddle Arena.

“This is crazy,” Robertson said. “You can tell we brought our whole county here, so I’m just glad we got this much support and came to play.”

Robertson made 13 of 27 shots, pulled down seven rebounds and scored 23 of his points after the Lakers entered halftime down 35-31. He also stepped up on defense, forcing a five-second violation against Russellville (18-13) with 30 seconds to play and a five-point lead.

The senior has risen to the occasion all season against top competition, RCHS coach Willie Feldhaus said. Robertson scored 36 points Feb. 12 in an 89-83 win over Madison Central, one of the top teams in the state.

“Sometimes, we probably rely on him too much, and some people may say he takes some bad shots, but that’s what he needs to do for us because I’ve got some guys that can attack the offensive glass also,” Feldhaus said. “I don’t want other people taking bad shots, but he can take one every now and then, and he knows that.”

The Lakers, winners of eight straight games, will play Warren Central at 3 p.m. Sunday in the region championship.

It’s Russell County’s first region title game appearance since 1957. The school joined Region 4 in 2005.

The last District 16 team to reach the Region 4 championship game was Metcalfe County in 2006.

“It’s uncharted territory for us,” Feldhaus said.

After Russellville opened an 8-7 lead at the 5:01 mark, the teams alternated buckets for the rest of the quarter. Robertson and Panthers senior forward Jordan Kennedy combined for 17 points in the first.

The teams combined to make 21 of 35 shots (60 percent) in the first quarter, and Russellville senior center Darrion Quarles’ jumper gave the Panthers a 23-21 lead at the end of the frame.

“Both teams shot the ball extremely well in the first half, and it wasn’t because of lack of defense,” Russellville coach Phil Todd said. “It’s because they have (Robertson), and we’ve got Kennedy. Those two don’t make a team, but they’re special players.”

Russellville never trailed in the second quarter, and junior guard Barrett Croslin’s third 3-pointer of the half with 1:30 left made it 35-31 at the break.

Russell County outrebounded the Panthers 20-14 in the first half, but allowed them to shoot 50 percent from the field.

“I thought we were in good shape,” Feldhaus said. “I told them if they shot the ball like that in the second half, we were probably going to get beat. We had to do a better job contesting.”

Croslin hit another 3 to make it 40-36 with 6:54 left in the third, but the Lakers finished the quarter on a 13-4 run to pull in front 49-44.

Robertson scored the final four points of the third and opened the fourth with a 3-pointer to push the lead to eight.

But Russellville started to chip away at its deficit in the final three minutes, and a jumper by Kennedy got the Panthers within 62-59 with 2:19 remaining.

“I never saw this team play before, but I’d heard they could beat anybody in the region on any given night,” Robertson said. “They proved that in the first half. They weren’t missing anything, and if they’d kept that up, it would’ve been rough on us.”

Russellville cut the Lakers’ lead to one twice – the last time with 44 seconds left after a Croslin 3-pointer – but Robertson sank five unanswered free throws before Croslin netted another 3 just before the buzzer.

Russell County shot 47.4 percent from the field and outrebounded the Panthers 40-27. Junior guard Blake Ellis chipped in 12 points, nine rebounds and six assists.

Sophomore forward Nick Coffey, who totaled 23 points and 23 rebounds in Monday’s first round against Greenwood, had six points and six rebounds in 16 minutes for the Lakers.

Croslin made 6 of 9 outside shots and paced Russellville with 23 points, while Kennedy added 15 points and eight rebounds. Junior guard Christian Naylor and senior forward Josh Hampton had 11 and 10 points, respectively.

“Our shot selection got a little suspect, and we weren’t making them,” Todd said. “When we got down by eight or nine, we kept fighting, and next thing I know, it’s a one-point game with two minutes on the clock. We tried to put pressure, but they’re an extraordinatory team.”

The Panthers were searching for their first region title game appearance since 2001, when Todd led the program to its second straight state semifinal.

That was Todd’s last year at the helm until he began his second stint as coach this season. He’ll say goodbye to four active seniors in Hampton, Kennedy, Quarles and guard Zach Hines.

“Even though they may not get the rewards for their hard work, they’ve set the tone for the teams that come up behind them,” Todd said. “I feel like our younger guys will fall in right behind them.”

RCHS    21    10    18    23    — 72

RHS    23    12    9    25    — 69

RCHS — Robertson 38, Ellis 12, Mann 8, Coffey 6, Turner 4, Bertram 4.

RHS — Croslin 23, Kennedy 15, Naylor 11, Hampton 10, Quarles 6, McMurray 2, Hines 2.