Thompson has a smart basketball team. Tough but smart.

“We got tough dudes,” Thompson coach DJ Black said. “Our program, from top to bottom, is built on toughness. We’re physically tough, but we’re smart and our guys buy into the defensive end.”

The eighth-ranked Warriors rallied in the second half and held the opposition without a made basket in the fourth period to secure a 63-43 victory over James Clemens in Wednesday’s Class 7A Northwest Regional boys semifinal at Wallace State’s Traditions Bank Arena.

Thompson (22-9) got things started with a Jared Smith 3-pointer on the initial possession of the game, and he and James Clemens’ London Townsend got into a shooting match with both answering one another for a 5-all tie halfway through the opening period.

The Jets closed out the quarter on a 9-3 run to grab a 16-10 lead heading into the second period.

“We talked about it coming in. James Clemens is a scrappy good team,” Black said. “They play very hard and take you out of what you do and, early on, we had to adjust to that play. Once we did, we enforced our plan, and that’s a credit to these guys.”

James Clemens’ Isaiah Cleaves opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer but allowed a 10-2 run from the Warriors, highlighted by nine straight points from Colben Landrew. Noah Gorman’s free throws gave James Clemens a 23-20 halftime lead.

The Warriors flexed their defensive muscle in the second half and surged ahead on a 16-5 run, capped by 3-pointers from Smith and Landrew, to take an eight-point lead late in the third period. James Clemens cut the lead to two points twice in the final minute, but Jay Green scored on a pair of free throws and a layup to keep the advantage at four points heading into the final quarter.

Thompson opened the fourth period with a game-defining 13-0 run. Three free throws were the only fourth-quarter points by the Jets (19-11), who did not score in the final period until 2:25 remaining in the game.

Did you know? Thompson advances to its seventh regional final in program history and is one win away from going back to the state tournament for the first time since winning consecutive titles in 1976 and 1977.

By the numbers: The Warriors were held to 25 percent overall in the first half but shot 72.7 percent in the second, finishing 50 percent for the game. They also owned the glass with a plus-15 advantage in rebounding. James Clemens was 39.5 percent from the field in the first three periods before shooting 0 percent in the final period for a 27.3 percent clip for the game.

Stat sheet: Thompson – Landrew led the Warriors with a game-high 19 points and added six rebounds and two steals. Green finished with 11 points, five rebounds and three steals. Smith had eight points and nine rebounds, followed by DaeShaun Morrissette with nine points, five rebounds and two assists. Masiah Robinson added seven points, three rebounds and four assists, and Cam Pritchett contributed six points, five rebounds and two blocks. James Clemens – Townsend finished with a team-high 18 points, along with six rebounds and three steals, and Gorman had nine points and three rebounds. Bryce Mason had seven points and three steals, followed by Isaiah Cleaves with five points and four rebounds.

Coachspeak: “We got basketball players at Thompson. At the beginning of the year, I said we could go up against any team, any style, and adapt to it and enforce our will. We did that today.” — Thompson’s DJ Black

They said it: “In the first quarter, we faced a lot of adversity, but we dialed in at halftime and came out with the victory.” — Colben Landrew

“We worked our system and did what we do best, really playing our game. They like to speed things up so we just played our game and put the ball in the net.” — Jared Smith

What’s next? Thompson advances to face either No. 2 Austin or No. 3 Hoover in Tuesday’s Northwest Regional final at Wallace State’s Traditions Bank Arena.