Third-seeded Austin was a little out of sync on offense, but the Packers' ball-hawking defense sparked them to the Class 3A quarterfinal victory Wednesday at Williams Arena.

The Packers (24-5) had 22 steals and forced Monticello into 31 turnovers as they pulled away in the second half.

“We struggled there for a while,” Packers coach Kris Fadness said. “But we got a little momentum and relaxed a little.”

Midway through the first half the teams were tied 9-9. Back-to-back three-pointers by reserve Moses Idris gave the Packers a 15-11 lead with 7:20 left in the first half. The Packers eventually opened a 32-24 halftime lead.

“Our bench played well for us,” Fadness said. “They stepped up.”

Austin pulled away in the second half for a 68-52 victory over Monticello in the Class 3A quarterfinals Wednesday at Williams Arena.

The Packers, making their sixth appearance at the state tournament since 2012, led 32-24 at halftime before eventually opening a 21-point lead in the second half.

Medi Obang scored 16 points to lead the Packers, 10 of them in the first half. Gavin Owens added 13 points – all in the second half.

Austin Wetter scored 13 to lead the Magic.

Austin, the third seed, will play No. 2 seed Waseca in the 2 p.m. Thursday semifinal at Target Center.

Check back later for more on the game.