AUGUSTA – More steals equals more uncontested baskets equals another drive to Augusta Civic Center later this week.

That formula worked splendidly for No. 4 Lake Region, which took two-and-a-half quarters to get untracked before turning Saturday night’s Western Class B boys’ quarterfinal into a track meet and sprinting away with a 58-42 victory over No. 5 Wells.

Jon Marstaller led the Lakers (16-3) with 17 points and 13 rebounds. The 6-foot-5 senior scored 13 in the second half, including nine in the fourth quarter. Similarly unleashed after intermission, senior guard James Oberg amassed a dozen of his 14 points in the third and fourth quarters. Jonathan Gilson chalked up 10 of his 13 in the first half to keep Lake Region afloat.

Held in check thanks to the Warriors’ patient approach and their own 3-for-12 shooting, Lake Region watched a jumper from the left wing by Wells’ Brandon Hodsdon tie it at 20 just before the halftime horn.

Wells (14-5) carried the momentum into the third quarter, grabbing a five-point advantage on an inside bucket by Hodsdon and Aaron Bourre’s 3-pointer.

, both set up by Jeff Brown.

Gilson’s steal, layup and free throw to complete the traditional 3-point play snapped Lake Region’s cold spell with 4:58 remaining in the third, and it launched a 28-7 run by the Lakers.

Oberg scored in transition to knot the game, and another theft led to Marstaller’s go-ahead hoop. That triggered a 13-2 surge to end the period.

Wells used another Bourre trey and two Hodsdon free throws to crawl within three at 35-32 with 5:44 to go, but Lake Region responded with 13 unanswered points, beginning with two additional old-fashioned 3-point plays by Andrew Beal and Marstaller.

Lake Region committed only four turnovers in the second half and nine overall. Thanks in part to the frequent fastbreaks, the Lakers went 15-for-26 from the floor after halftime.

Brown and Bourre paced the Warriors with 10 points each.

koakes@sunjournal.com

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