Hidden Valley depended on its outside shot, while Christiansburg went inside for theirs. In the end, it was much warmer inside, as the Blue Demons claimed a 63-59 victory in the opening round of the River Ridge District boys basketball tournament Monday night in Christiansburg.

Christiansburg (10-8) heads to Salem Wednesday to take on the Spartans in the semifinals. Game time is schedule for 7 p.m.

Both the Titans (8-13) and Blue Demons would play to a 9-all tie after the initial eight minutes. Christiansburg would outscore Hidden Valley 19-18 in the second stanza to take a slim 27-26 halftime advantage.

Both teams would knock down 13 points apiece in the third quarter, as Christiansburg clung to a 40-39 lead heading into the final quarter, thanks to a three-pointer by Josh Winkle late in the stanza.

The Blue Demons would outscore the Titans 23-20 in the final eight minutes, as Christiansburg earned the hard-fought 63-59 victory.

While Hidden Valley connected on nine 3-pointers for the game. Christiansburg was feeding the ball to its inside duo of Patrick Cummings and Chris Dobbins, who combined for 20 first-half points. In addition, the Blue Demons pulled down 40 rebounds, compared to just 21 for the Titans.

Carter Wright led Hidden Valley with a game-high 23 points, including four from outside the arc.

Patrick Cummings led Christiansburg with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Chris Dobbins contributed 19 points and Josh Winkle finished with 11 points.