Build a big early lead. Hold off the opposition's runs.

That was the simple recipe for Chaparral Wednesday afternoon as the No. 5 Firebirds took down No. 4 St. Mary's, 75-59, in a Division I boys basketball quarterfinal at Wells Fargo Arena.

Chaparral jumped out to a 20-5 lead after one quarter to put St.Mary's on the defensive. The Knights did make a couple runs, particularly in the final period when it sliced what was a 50-33 deficit in the third to 52-47 with a little more than four minutes left. A layup at the other end by Ryan Bayster and threes from Kenzo Nudo and Luke Jackson pushed the lead back to double digits and spelled the end for St. Mary's.

Chaparral (26-5) got a game-high 26 points from Nudo (four timely threes) and Bayster, who made a living on the baseline for the Firebirds with 22 points. Chaparral advances to face No. 1 Corona in the semifinals on Saturday at 7:45 p.m. at Grand Canyon University. Corona outlasted Central, 67-61.

St, Mary's finished the year 17-13. Chaparral's fast start coincided with the slow start for St. Mary's sophomore guard Marcus Shaver. Shaver missed his first eight shots and finished the opening half with just five points. Shaver got untracked a bit in the second half, but never hot enough to spearhead a go-ahead run. Shaver finished with 25 points. He was 10 for 27 from the floor for the game. Teammate Isaiah Walton chipped in with 10 points.

DESERT VISTA 56, MESA HIGH 40: The No. 7 Thunder nearly lost a 15-2 lead amassed in the first period, but pulled together midway through the second period and beyond to top the No. 2 Jackrabbis at Wells Fargo Arena.

Brandon Clarke led Desert Vista with 16 points, 10 in the second half and six in a row in a final-quarter stretch that blunted Mesa's final hope of a comeback. Tarik Cool added 12 points and David Powell nine for the Thunder. Desert Vista (25-4) plays next on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Grand Canyon University against the Mesa Mountain View, a 65-45 winner overGilbert.

Mesa (26-5) got a team-high 12 points off the bench from Kale Abbott. Abbott made four threes for all his points. Drew Hatch had eight points and Darius Godeau chipped in seven. Mesa never led, but cut a 15-2 deficit to 17-15 with six minutes left in the second quarter.

MESA MTN. VIEW 65, GILBERT 45: The third-seeded Toros (24-7) executed to perfection most of the night and pulled away early in the fourth period to knock off the sixth-seed Tigers (21-8) at Wells Fargo Arena. Mountain View won an earlier meeting in overtime in December.

Mountain View used a 12-1 run to begin the final quarter to break the contest open. That extended a six-point lead to 17. Mountain View battered Gilbert with threes from guard Tommy Kuhse (five), who totaled 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the field. Kuhse's buzzer beater in the first meeting gave the Toros that win. Mountain View worked the baseline often for post-ups and backdoor buckets as part of its game.

David Beecher, who had a big game offensively in the second round win over Basha, poured in 15 points and Trevor Willis added 13 points -- seven from the free-throw line. Mountain View faces Desert Vista in Saturday's 6 p.m. semi at Grand Canyon University. Gilbert was led by senior post Truman Moore (14 points) and Chris Bowling and Nick Agostino with 10 points apiece.

CORONA DEL SOL 67, CENTRAL 61: The top-seed Aztecs (30-1) held off a late rally and made clutch free throws to preserve a hard-fought win over the pesky No. 8  Bobcats (25-6). Corona faces Chaparral in the semis Saturday night at 7:45 at Grand Canyon U.

Alex Barcello, who had a a tough night shooting, made eight of nine free throws in the final couple minutes to finish with 17 points. Barcello connected on just 3 of 13 shots from the field .Corona was carried offensively the first three quarters by Marvin Bagley III and Dane Kuiper. They fiinished with 25 points and 16 points, respectively.

Central senior forward Famoun Miller tallied 20 points and led a comeback that pulled the Bobcats within one with three minutes left. Miller played the final 11 minutes with four fouls. Fellow senior -- guard  Obi Megwa -- had a team-high 22 points before fouling out in the final two minutes.