It was the worst possible combination for the Helias Crusaders.
They couldn't do much of anything right, and the Father Tolton Trailblazers were hardly missing any of the shots they were taking.
"The most frustrating part was we lost our composure," Helias coach Joe Rothweiler said after the Crusaders were routed 67-37 by the Trailblazers in Saturday night's semifinal game of the Joe Machens Great 8 Classic at Fleming Fieldhouse.
"We did some things that were uncharacteristic of us, both on the court and in the intangibles that go off the court, as far as supporting our teammates. Those things were the most frustrating. I just didn't feel like we were a typical Helias Cruader team tonight."
Tolton won the opening tip, but the Trailblazers were trapped near the half-court line and were forced to call a timeout just 13 seconds into the game.
After a quick regroup, Nate Schwartze scored on a layup and added another basket on the Trailblazers' next possession. It was a sign of things to come.
"We didn't do a very good job of guarding the ball early on," Rothweiler said. "We gave them a lot of early shots, and then they got comfortable. Once they get comfortable, they're very hard to guard."
Tolton made 9-of-13 shots in the first quarter to build a 21-4 lead against Helias, ending the quarter on a 13-0 run. The Crusaders had just one rebound in the game's first eight minutes.
Coban Porter scored in the opening minute of the fourth quarter to make it 15 unanswered points.
"We were able to disrupt their offensive rhythm and apply some ball pressure," Tolton coach Jeremy Osborne said. "It got them out of cahoots a little bit on the offensive end, and then we were able to make some shots that we haven't been making as of late."
Tolton made its first six shot attempts of the second quarter, stretching its lead to 38-14 with 2:46 left in the first half.
The Trailblazers finished the game shooting 70.3 percent (26-of-37) from the floor. They shot 76.2 percent (16-of-21) in the first half and led 41-21 at intermission.
Tolton scored just 36 points in Friday's first-round win against Upper Arlington (Ohio).
"Tonight's style suits us more," Osborne said with a laugh.
The Trailblazers continued to roll in the third quarter, while the Crusaders' struggles continued as well. The fourth quarter began with a running clock, as Tolton led Helias 63-32.
Helias' bench players took the court for the fourth quarter.
"I don't feel like our starters were cheering them on," Rothweiler said. "That's what we talked about after the game. We're going to take our lumps, but you've got to be there for your teammates.
"You have to be high character. When your teammate practices hard every single day, takes a charge and you're a starter and on the bench, you should be standing up like he does for you when you take a charge."
Damon Johanns was the leading scorer for the Crusaders, finishing with 11 points off the bench. Marcus Anthony added nine points, but his playing time was limited due to foul trouble.
Tolton had a balanced scoring attack, with Coban Porter and Jevon Porter each posting 12 points. Schwartze and Chase Martin each added 11 points.
"Any coach in America would prefer balanced (scoring)," Osborne said. "It's harder to stop when you've got four guys in double digits."
Tolton (7-1), ranked No. 1 in Class 3, will play Lausanne Collegiate (Tenn.) (9-4) in the championship game at 7 p.m. today.
It's the Trailblazers' first title game appearance in the Classic since winning the three-day tournament in 2015.
"This is a high-quality tournament, a first-class event," Osborne said. "There are some really good teams here."
Helias (5-2) will face the Jefferson City Jays (4-4) in the third-place game at 5:30 p.m. It will be the first of three meetings this season between the crosstown rivals, who haven't faced each other in the Classic since 2013.
"It's going to be a fun game," Rothweiler said. "Hopefully our guys step up and respond."