COLUMBIA — It wasn’t easy at first, but the Centreville Academy Tigers used a 34-point second half to pull away from an upset-minded Columbia Academy Cougars team Friday night, 55-21.

“Offensively, we moved the ball well (in the first half). We fumbled the ball and they scored off it. We went back and forth with them,” Centreville assistant coach Brian Stutzman said. “The second half, we played with a lot more emotion. We got some big turnovers ourselves.”

And that included a couple of interceptions in which Stutzman said turned the momentum over to Centreville, the No. 1 team in Class AA. The Tigers took advantage of Columbia Academy’s miscues in the second half. They scored 14 points in the third quarter and 20 in the fourth quarter while the Cougars managed just seven points after halftime.

“The offense scored whenever they got it. But it was a total team effort,” Stutzman said. “(Randy) Bell and (Colton) Terrell ran the ball well. We threw the ball well. The offensive line protected well.”

Centreville Academy (8-0) returns to District 6-AA action at 7 p.m. next Friday when the Tigers host Bowling Green School.