Richmond Heights used a 38-point third quarter to pull away from Cornerstone Christian Academy in a Division IV regional semifinal in Canton on Tuesday.
With the win, the Spartans improved to 26-0 overall and advanced to a fifth straight regional championship game. They’ll play Dalton on Friday in the Elite Eight.
The Spartans got off to a fast start by pestering the Patriots to the tune of 28 turnovers, which helped Richmond Heights build a 22-8 lead in the first.
“It was a little bit of a designed defense,” Richmond Heights coach Quentin Rogers told The News-Herald. “Fill the gaps and run and jump. They did a good job of that and having high hands. We did a real good job of making things tough on them. We knew they wanted to get the ball up and down, and preventing that was our top priority.”
Cornerstone clawed its way back into the game in the second quarter and trailed at the break, 37-31.
The third quarter mirrored the first with Richmond Heights taking advantage of 10 Cornerstone turnovers and the Spartans imposing their will on the offensive end.
Jeremy Wilson led that second-half charge with 20 of his 26 points in the final 16 minutes. DeMarris Winters added 22 points and Dorian Jones contributed to the win with 20. Hosea Steele also scored in double figures with 15.
