AUGUSTA – Hey, you try running the spacious Augusta Civic Center basketball court at 9 a.m.

North Yarmouth Academy customarily unleashes its pedal-to-the-metal style on overmatched foes in claustrophobic gymnasiums, on a full stomach, and after being cooped up in class all day. Maybe the conditions weren’t right in Saturday morning’s first Western Class D quarterfinal, when the Panthers committed too many turnovers, allowed Buckfield to conduct the tempo at a relative crawl and sputtered to a seven-point deficit.

“That was about as bad a half of basketball as we’ve played all year,” said NYA coach Tom Robinson.

Immediately followed by arguably its best. Tim DeLuca scored 18 of his game-high 26 points after intermission, and No. 3 NYA imposed its preferred breakneck pace in speeding to an 80-66 triumph over No. 6 Buckfield.

Auburn’s Luke Welch added 18 points, eight assists and five rebounds for NYA (13-6), which advances to face six-time defending state champion Valley High of Bingham in the semifinals at 10 a.m. Wednesday. Brian Chin (15 points, four blocked shots) and Tim LaChance (10 points, seven rebounds) played crucial supporting roles as quickness and transition prowess prevailed over brawn.

“We did exactly what we wanted to do in the first half and exactly what we didn’t want to do in the second half,” said Buckfield coach Cam Cowett. “We don’t normally fall apart like that. We had the game at the right pace, because NYA could run the crap out of us if they wanted. They proved that.”

Buckfield (12-7) used 3-pointers by Scott Wetherell and Marc Smith to trigger a 15-4 run late in the second quarter, laying the foundation for a 34-27 halftime lead. But that was nothing compared to the Panthers’ explosion in the third period and carrying into the fourth.

Steals, long rebounds and two-on-one breaks became NYA’s best friend. Chin’s steal led to his own bucket off a give-and-go with Welch to slice the gap to three at 42-39.

After two missed free throws, another day-long bugaboo for the Bucks, Welch drove for a short jumper. DeLuca then corraled a Buckfield miss at the top of the opposite key and went coast-to-coast for the deuce the put NYA ahead to stay.

DeLuca, Welch and Chin each delivered another hoop to make it 14 unanswered points. That run reached 35-8 and resulted in a 67-48 edge with 5:13 remaining.

The lead grew as high 21 for the Panthers, whose largest deficit was eight when Harry Hayes’ putback made it 40-32 with 6:01 to go in the third. Scoring most of its points on uncontested forays into the paint, NYA hit 20 of 27 field goal attempts in the second half.

“We tightened up our defense,” said Welch. “We get most of our offense from our defense. The first half we were a little nervous. Only three of us (Welch, Chin and DeLuca) have played much in this gym.”

Freshman Jamie Henderson shone in his first civic center performance, leading Buckfield with 20 points. He also pulled down 10 rebounds and made four steals.

Seniors Wetherell (17 points, seven rebounds, four steals) and Hayes (12 points, 16 rebounds) were standouts in their final game for the Bucks. Wetherell drew the defensive assignment against DeLuca, holding him to eight points in the first half.

Even then, Buckfield recognized the missed opportunities. The Bucks went 5-for-16 from the free-throw line in the first half and wound up 9-for-28. After forcing 16 NYA turnovers before intermission, the Bucks matched that total themselves in the third and fourth quarters.

“Even against Valley, we stayed with ’em both times we played, and in the end it was just that the better team won,” Cowett said. “Here, we just crumbled. (NYA) capitalized on turnovers and made free throws. The basics always win you games, especially at this place.”

[email protected]