TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — The Catholic Central boys basketball team is officially in uncharted territory. On the heels of the program’s first section title since 1981, the Crusaders are now headed to the final four of the Class B state tournament for the first time in program history. Guy Di Bacco’s bunch punched its’ ticket to the semis with an emphatic, 72-34 win over Sec. X’s Potsdam in the regional round Saturday afternoon.

Catholic Central got off to a blistering start. It opened up the game on a 12-0 run, punctuated by a wing three-pointer from freshman phenom Darien Moore.

After Potsdam finally got on the board with a two-point basket, CCHS countered with another 7-0 run, maintaining a 17-point advantage just 4:52 into the contest.

And with just seconds remaining in the first quarter, eighth grader Xavjon Arroyo poured in a wing triple of his own, capping a 27-point opening frame from the Crusaders that had them leading by 20 points heading into the second quarter.

And there was no slowing down the Catholic Central offense in that second stanza. It outscored the Sandstoners 18-8, maintaining a 30-point halftime margin.

Catholic Central cruised in the second half, and managed to outscore Potsdam in every quarter, en route to the 72-34 win – the largest margin of victory in a state playoff game thus far on either the boys’ or girls’ side.

Coach Di Bacco raved after the game about the well-roundedness of his team’s performance. And bad news for the rest of Class B…he doesn’t think his guys have reached their ceiling yet.

“I thought the guys did a great job today,” said Di Bacco. “I thought we played confident, aggressive, and I think a couple times we even gave up good (shots) for great (shots), which has been our motto all year on the offensive end. I think we can still improve, and I’m gonna challenge ’em to improve this week. I think our best basketball is still ahead of us.”

Senior forward Conor Gemmill, who led the Crusaders in scoring with 12 points, reflected on what led to the team having so much success on both ends of the court.

“We were playing pretty fast offensively; getting back on defense,” said Gemmill. “I think we’re pretty well-prepared (moving forward). We just gotta go into the next game with the same mindset.”

That next game will be played Saturday, March 18 at Cool Insuring Arena. Catholic Central awaits Sec. XI’s Southampton with a trip to the state title on the line. The Mariners sit one spot below the Crusaders in the state rankings (No. 3), and boast a 21-5 overall record. Make sure you set your alarm(s) for this one; opening tip-off is slated for 9:00 a.m.