Totino-Grace controlled the game from beginning to end to defeat unseeded St. Francis 86-36 in the quarterfinals of the Class 3A boys basketball state tournament Tuesday at Williams Arena.
The top-seeded Eagles (22-8) scored the first 12 points of the game and took a 48-17 lead into halftime. The Eagles went on a 20-9 run coming out of the break to extend the lead to 68-28.
The quick start comforted Eagles senior Patrick Bath.
"It's good because all of these teams have talent," he said. "They all have a chance to upset. We came out and stuck to [the scouting report] and didn't give them the chance to upset us."
The Saints (17-13) found a little momentum late in the first half with a 5-0 run that began with 3:27 left, but the Eagles responded with a 7-0 run to finish the half. The Saints shot just 30% (15-for-50) while the Eagles made 72% of their shots (36-for-50).
Matthew Bothun, a 6-9 forward committed to North Dakota, led the Saints with 16 points.
"It was a nerve-racking experience," Bothun said. "For me personally, it took me probably six, seven, eight minutes to get into a rhythm of anything that felt like normal basketball."
The inside play of Bath, a 6-9 forward, got the Eagles into the game early. He finished with 23 points, seven rebounds and three blocks. Taison Chatman, a Totino-Grace guard committed to Ohio State, had 16 points and five assists for the Eagles.
