LAKE OZARK, Mo. - The Helias Crusaders enjoyed a second-quarter sandwich Tuesday night.
Helias started the quarter with a 10-0 run before closing it with a 7-0 spurt on its way to a 56-41 win against the Salem Tigers in the semifinals of the Class 4 District 11 Tournament at School of the Osage.
"We've been talking about intensity all season and I think that really showed in that second quarter," Helias coach Josh Buffington said. "Our intensity is the key for us because when we are intense on defense, that really leads to our offense being successful."
With the win, top-seeded Helias (19-7) advances to Thursday night's district title game against second-seeded Rolla (15-11). Rolla advanced with an 80-68 victory against School of the Osage in Tuesday night's second semifinal.
The Crusaders started Tuesday night's game with an 8-0 run before the Tigers answered with an 11-2 flurry of their own to take their only lead of the night at 11-10. The game was tied at 15 after one quarter.
Four different Crusaders - Nick Brandt, Nathan Bax, Marcus Anthony and Dalton Weaver - scored in the 10-0 run at the start of the second quarter.
After Salem whittled its deficit to six at 25-19, Helias got a 3-pointer from Brandt and four points from Weaver to close the first half with a 32-19 advantage.
Salem did not get as close as single digits the remainder of the contest.
Bax and Weaver had big games inside for the Crusaders and that was by design.
"We are focused on playing through the paint right now," Buffington said. "It loosens things up by taking some of the pressure off our guards and it provides a lot of scoring opportunities for us."
Bax finished with a team-high 15 points while pulling down nine rebounds.
"Nathan has turned into a physical force for us the past four or five games," Buffington said. "We know we have to use him a lot down the stretch."
Weaver also had nine rebounds to go along with seven points in the game.
The Crusaders led by as many as 20 points in the third quarter, that coming after a putback by Bax made it 45-25 with 2:10 on the clock. Helias led 47-30 with one quarter to play.
Helias took its biggest lead of the game at 56-35 with 3:30 to go on a steal and layup by Anthony.
Landon Harrison added 14 points for the Crusaders, while Brandt chipped in with 11.
Logan Woolf totaled a game-high 16 points and eight rebounds for fourth-seeded Salem (13-14). Jakob Happel added 11 points for the Tigers.
Helias, which defeated Rolla 62-49 on the road Feb. 11, will be making its ninth consecutive trip to a district championship contest Thursday night.
"We realize it's going to be a battle, it always is in a district title game," Buffington said. "Our kids have worked so hard this year, I believe we are going to play a competitive basketball game."
The title game is slated for a 7 p.m. start. Helias beat Rolla 74-60 in the Class 4 District 10 title game last year.
The district champ moves to the sectional Wednesday, March 7, at Sedalia Smith-Cotton.