By TOM KREAGER
staff writer

MURFREESBORO — Tennessee Temple senior Seth Skogen admitted he hadn’t shot well this week in the state tournament.

He made up for it Saturday.

Skogen scored a game-high 25 points to lead Temple to a 61-37 win over Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences in the Boys State Basketball Tournament Class A title game at Murphy Center.

“Both coaches (Kevin Skogen and Greg Brown) were telling me I wasn’t shooting the ball well,’’ Skogen said. “I needed to get out of my shell.’’

Skogen was 9-of-18 from the field and 5-of-5 from the line Saturday. He was 14-of-39 from the field and 4-of-7 at the foul line in his two previous games.

Skogen, who finished the tournament with 62 points in the three games, was named Class A’s most valuable player.

Temple, up 30-19 at halftime, outscored the Patriots 20-3 in the third quarter to put the championship game away.

CSAS was 1-of-11 in the quarter with four turnovers.

“Their defense affects you in a lot of ways,’’ CSAS Coach Mark Dragoo said. “It’s hard for you to execute your offense the way you want.’’

Temple’s championship is the program’s third this decade. The Crusaders won back-to-back titles in 2002 and 2003. CSAS claimed its second state runner-up trophy. It finished second to Martin Luther King in 1991.