Good outside shooting in the first half and a solid defense helped the Packers outlast the Cadets 55-49 in the Class 3A quarterfinals Wednesday at Williams Arena.

The Packers (28-2), who were shooting 40 percent from three-point range going into the game, made six of 11 three-pointers in the first half to build a 31-23 halftime.

The Packers led by as many as 12 points in the second half, before the Cadets (23-7) got within five points with 5:54 left. But the Packers didn’t let the Cadets get any closer and the Packers made seven of eight free throws in the final two minutes to hold on.

“I thought we played a solid first half,” Austin coach Kris Fadness said. “We like to play a faster tempo. I thought they did a good job defensively on us.  They are a well-coached team.” 

Duoth Gach scored 17 points and his brother, Both Gach, scored 14 to lead the Packers. Duoth Gach was five of eight from three-point range, including four of five in the first half.

Sam Vascellero led the Cadets with 24 points and 13 rebounds.

“I give our guys credit,” Cadets coach Jason Birr said. “We’ve been preaching mental toughness all year, especially when the stakes are tough. We got down by 12, but we got some stops. They (the Packers) did a good job of sticking to our shooters. We couldn’t get good looks.”

JOEL RIPPEL