PORTLAND — Sometimes it takes teams time to warm up to the pressure of being the No. 1 seed. Greely needed no such warm-up Saturday, however.

Top-seeded Greely shot the lights out in the first quarter and rolled to a 78-56 win over No. 8 Gray-New Gloucester in the Western Class B boys’ quarterfinals at the Portland Expo. The Rangers (17-2) draw No. 4 Yarmouth in the semifinals on Thursday.

“We talked about coming out with intensity and focus, and I thought we did that at the beginning of the game,” Greely coach Ken Marks said. “We set the tone from the beginning of the game.”

“One (versus) eight, there’s always pressure there,” he added. “It’s nice to get that one under our belt and move on.”

Sam Johnston, Nick Clark and Liam Maker combined for four 3-pointers and all five starters scored in the first quarter as Greely stormed out to a 21-11 lead. The first quarter left Gray-New Gloucester and coach Tony DiBiase with visions of repeating a 91-42 defeat at the Rangers’  hands 11 days earlier.

“There’s not much you can do,” DiBiase said. “But I was very proud the way the kids hung in there. We actually cut the lead down to 17 with a look at a wide-open 3. We missed the 3 and that was kind of it.”

“Greely, obviously, I think is the best team in the tournament,” he added. “That’s a tough match-up for anybody.”

Johnston continued his torrid pace in the second quarter to finish the first half with 20 points, as Greely pulled out to a 20-point lead, and the game with 31.

“He just played tremendous,” DiBiase said. “Never mind the rim, he never hit the net. He’s a big guy, so we couldn’t guard him. He can shoot over the top and he’s quick off the dribble.”

“Sam, he has a goal, and he’s playing very focused,” Marks said. “I’m very impressed with how he’s played in big games at the end of the season.”

Tanner Storey added 14 points and Maker 13. Adam Jensen led the Patriots (11-9) with 20 points while Ryan Callaro chipped in 12.