TURBOTVILLE–Warrior Run did not implement fictional Hickory Huskers’ coach Norman Dale’s four-pass offense Thursday against Wellsboro. But it sure adhered to the philosophy behind the design.

And nearly every Defender basket started with a crisp pass. Warrior Run piled up both points and assists. Five playing as one helped it blow open a close District 4 Class AAA quarterfinal and roll into the semifinals.

Four players reached double figures and Warrior Run produced 24 assists on 31 field goals, defeating Wellsboro, 73-39. The Defenders (22-2) dominated the second half after Wellsboro cut a 14-point second quarter deficit to three early in the third and earned a spot in next week’s semifinals against Mifflinburg at a time and place to be determined.

“We’ve all played together since we were in seventh and eighth grade. We’re all good passers, so we all kind of know where everyone is going to be before they get there,” center Aiden McKee said after collecting a game-high 23 points, eight rebounds and four blocks. “It’s good chemistry that helps with that, too.”

Chemistry, unselfishness and constant movement helped Warrior Run outscore Wellsboro, 40-12 in the second half. James Keifer generated a double-double with 11 assists and 10 points, while Landon Polcyn scored 22 points and dealt six assists. Ethan Balzer added 10 points, three assists and three steals and Carter Sheesley made three steals.

It took a fantastic Wellsboro second quarter to get Warrior Run going again but once it did, the HAC-III champ put together a dazzling display on both ends.

“They’re super unselfish,” Warrior Run coach Eric Wertman said. “They all play together well; they all look for each other.”

“We’re such a close group of people, like a family because we’ve been together for a long time,” Keifer said. “We know what each other’s strengths are and weaknesses and we exploit that.”

Keifer enjoyed one of the best quarterbacking seasons in Warrior Run history last fall and now holds a similar basketball role. The senior point guard seems the perfect maestro for this band and used his vision and intelligence to conduct a second half symphony.

After a Luke Rothermel 3-pointer pulled the Hornets within, 33-30 on the second-half’s initial possession, Keifer channeled both his inner-Tom Brady and Isiah Thomas. He dealt three quick assists and his fourth led to a McKee jumper which pushed the run to 15 straight points. Inside and outside, Keifer consistently found the open man and put him in good scoring position, and he dealt eight of his 11 assists during the second half.

“I just feel like I’m reading a football field,” Keifer said. “It’s the same thing as a quarterback, trying to pick the defense apart. Credit them, they played a good zone, but we just dished it around and set each other up.”

Keifer also was a defensive catalyst, making five steals and grabbing seven rebounds. As impressive as the second-half offense was, the defense may have been even better. Following Rothermel’s 3-pointer, Warrior Run allowed just four more field goals and forced 12 turnovers.

The Defenders opened the third quarter in a full-court, man-to-man press. It was part strategy and part message. It fully worked, too.

“Our coach said if we’re not going to play with energy he will do something to give us some energy,” McKee said. “That helped. It was just a matter of playing better defense.”

“We talked about it at half, putting some pressure on,” Wertman said. “That’s what we do and do it very well, but we didn’t do it at all in the second quarter. We made some adjustments and I’m happy with the end result.”

Wertman was more enraged than happy at halftime after Wellsboro ended the half on an 11-3 run and closed within, 33-27 on Griffin Morral’s 3-pointer. Morral, Rothermel and Jonathan Carl (7 rebounds) all had five or more rebounds at halftime and Rothermel finished with a team-best 11 points and seven boards.

Rothermel draining another 3-pointer 10 seconds into the third quarter made it feel like the third quarter might be a continuation, but Warrior Run immediately flipped the script.

Keifer quickly found McKee and Balzer for baskets and the snowball started rolling. Wellsboro called multiple timeouts to try and stop the growth, but it soon became an avalanche and McKee’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer had Warrior Run up, 52-32 entering the fourth quarter.

“They pushed us hard. The second half we came out with a different mindset,” Keifer said. “We just knew that it could be our last game, so we just came out and played as hard as we can.”

That continued in the fourth quarter as Warrior Run quickly landed the knockout blow. The Defenders qscored 13 straight points and consecutive Keifer to Balzer connections imposed the mercy rule. Following that Rothermel 3-pointer, Warrior Run ended the game on a 40-9 run. It was hard to tell if it was the defense feeding the offense or the other way around.

Either way, Warrior Run feasted throughout the second half and everyone had a place at the table.

“That unselfishness and chemistry really help us with ball movement,” McKee said. “It makes it easier when you’re moving and scoring and finding people.”

Warrior Run opened the game that way, scoring the first 12 points. Wellsboro settled in from there but still trailed 20-9 entering the second quarter. Warrior Run pushed it to 14, but the Hornets started landing some haymakers from there, fighting off the ropes and doing their best to put Warrior Run on them.

As quickly as the upset buzz started, Warrior Run ended it. Less than eight minutes after seeing its lead cut to three, the Defenders pushed it to 18. This time, they kept their foot on the gas and powered on to the semifinals for a fourth straight year.

“Credit to them because they played with energy and effort that second quarter and completely outplayed us,” Wertman said. “We made some adjustments at halftime and talked about some things, and I love the resiliency of us to come back and fight in the third quarter.”

WELLSBORO (39)

Gideon Lawton 2 0-0 4, Luke Rothermel 5 0-0 11, Colin Fletcher 3 0-0 7, Griffin Morral 3 0-0 7, Jonathan Carl 0 2-4 2, Keegan Vanzile 1 0-0 2, James Doughtie 2 0-0 4, Marek Mascho 1 0-2 2. Totals 17 2-6 39.

WARRIOR RUN (73)

Aiden McKee 10 1-2 23, Ethan Balzer 5 0-1 10, James Keifer 4 0-0 10, Landon Polcyn 9 1-2 22, Carter Sheesley 2 2-2 6, Clayton Skokoski 1 0-0 2, Christian Cirilo 0 0-3 0. Totals 31 4-10 73.

Wellsboro 9 18 5 7–39

Warrior Run 20 13 19 21–73

3-pointers: Wellsboro 3 (Rothermel, Fletcher, Morral). Warrior Run 7 (Polcyn 3, McKee 2, Keifer 2).

Records: Warrior Run 22-2. Wellsboro 12-12.