Columbia head coach Mark Sandstrom talks to his players during a timeout. (Alan Dooley photo)

Survive and advance. The Columbia boys basketball team did just that in a Class 3A Waterloo Regional semifinal contest Wednesday night with a 55-39 win over Civic Memorial.

In a battle of Eagles, Civic Memorial jumped out to a 10-5 lead after one quarter, but Columbia climbed back into the contest with a 22-13 scoring edge in the second quarter to go up 27-23 at halftime.

Columbia’s strong defensive pressure limited Civic Memorial to just 16 points in the second half as the blue-and-white Eagles advanced to Friday’s regional title game.

Jordan Holmes scored 20 points, grabbed eight rebounds and added five steals to lead Columbia. Jon Peterson added 15 points and five rebounds.

Columbia shot 54 percent from the floor and dominated Civic Memorial on the boards with a 26-15 rebounding advantage.

Columbia (19-11) has won nine of its past 10 games but will face a tough test in undefeated Alton Marquette (29-0) for the regional championship. The Explorers defeated Mascoutah, 54-43, on Tuesday.

“All of our poker chips will be in the middle of the table Friday night,” Columbia head coach Mark Sandstrom posted on Twitter.