• Photo Showcase: State tournament: Thursday

• Video: Highlights from the Ralston-Adams Central game:



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LINCOLN — The hopes for a repeat Class B boys basketball tournament title remain alive for Ralston after a 54-42 victory over Adams Central on Thursday at the Devaney Center. No. 3 Ralston (18-8) moved into 2 p.m. semifinal Friday against South Sioux City at the Devaney Center. The eighth-ranked Patriots end their season at 20-4. The Rams took the game over with a 21-point second quarter in which they hit 9 of 15 shots and built their lead to 35-16 by the half. Dwight Smith had eight of his game-high 12 points during the quarter, hitting all four of his shots.

Ralston's experience was evident from the start. Each Ram has played in the state tournament, unlike the Patriots who were making their first tourney trip since 2006.

“Our seniors have been here all four years, so there's no awe factor with them,” Ram coach Bill Heard said. “They're not going to be intimidated.”

The Rams took the game over with a 21-point second quarter in which they hit 9 of 15 shots and built their lead to 35-16 by the half. Dwight Smith had eight of his game-high 12 points during the quarter, hitting all four of his shots.

Adams Central turned it over 11 times and was outrebounded 18-9 in the opening half.

“I thought we competed very well on the defensive end,” Heard said. “We wanted to cut down on the dribble penetration and limit their 3s.”

Ralston then scored the first nine points of the third quarter to build its lead to 44-16. The Rams led by as many as 30 (50-20) with seven minutes left before a late Patriot run made the final score respectable.

The Rams featured a balanced attack as Eric Tucker, Tony Grant and Grant Kay each added nine points to Smith's dozen.

Hastings grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds, while Tucker added seven rebounds and four blocked shots.

“I thought those guys were phenomenal,” Heard said. “Hastings competed hard, and I thought his motor drove us. Tucker can change a game in so many ways.”

Brady Barrett, Zach Hunt and Connor Lyons each had nine points for the Patriots.

Ralston's semifinal showdown will be a rematch of a Feb. 9 contest, when South Sioux City earned a 61-56 win at Ralston.

“South Sioux is very talented and all the accolades they've received are well-deserved,” Heard said. “We expect it to be a four-quarter game.”

Adams Central (20-4).....................5 11 4 22—42

Ralston (18-8)..................14 21 11 8—54

AC: Matt Overmiller 4, Nathan Arlt 2, Brady Barrett 9, Zach Hunt 9, Connor Lyons 9, Calvin Ott 5, Ashton Dirks 2, Micah Lindblad 2.

Ralston: Grant Kay 9, Ryan Herdman 4, Karon Crawford 5, Eric Hastings 6, Tony Grant 9, Eric Tucker 9, Dwight Smith 12.

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