Mountain View boys basketball coach Gary Ernst reminded his players at halftime of their quarterfinal matchup with Corona del Sol on Saturday night the importance of what was coming up. A halftime talk he has made many a time.

"I told them the first five minutes of the third quarter in a game like this is critical," Ernst said.

Four minutes into the third period fourth-seeded Mountain View acted on those words. A 25-22 lead at intermission jumped to 37-23 and the Toros were on their way to a 67-42 win over No. 5 Corona del Sol iat Mountain View.

Mountain View advances to Thursday's semifinals at Jobing.com Arena where it will face top seed Buena, a 74-73 winner over Desert Vista, at 8 p.m.

Mountain View (25-3) outscored Corona, 22-10, in the third period. All seven players who played in the quarter for Mountain View scored in a game that had more of semifinal or championship game flavore than a second-round matchup.

Guard Mark Mazzucco led Mountain View and all scorers with 20 points.  The Toros made 9-of-13 field-goal attempts in the period while Corona, was misfiring to the tune of 2-for-14. Mountain View not only dominated shooting, but kept the Aztecs from scoring inside in the quarter and from doing damage on the boards. Freshman guard Casey Benson led Corona with 19 points, 12 in the first half. Junior guard Calaen Robinson added 14 for the Aztecs.

"We had looks I think, but in then third quarter we couldn't get many to go down," Corona del Sol coach Sam Duane Jr. said. "The game was physical, adn when it's like that they have an advantage.....  We'll learn from this. I'm not sure our guys understand yet exactly what it takes, but they'll learn. I'm proud of them. Twenty-two and six is a pretty good year."

Mountain View led virtually the entire game, but Corona didn't let an early 11-4 deficit consume them. Had Mazzucco not made a jumper at the halftime buzzer, the Aztecs would have been down just one at intermission. Corona trailed in part because of a superb first half from Toros junior forward Camyn Boone. Boone scored 12 points in the first half (14 for the game). With Corona clogging he middle to defend penetration and the presence of Boone and center Kyle Bingham, Boone found another way to score.

"(Boone) 's game is starting to change," Ernst said. "He's starting to shoot and make some mid-range jumpers and that's helping our offense."

Boone scored six points in the first period in the paint and at the line. His six points in the second period were on 10- and 15-foot jumpers when the defense gave him space.

Corona looked like it might make a run early in the final period when it slices a 47-29 lead to 47-36 with just less than seven minutes to play. Free-throw shooting and six fourth-quarter points from Loren Benally blunted the Aztecs' last gasp at a rally. Free-throw shooting both ways. Mountain View made 14-of-16 free throws in the final period, many in the final two minutes when the outcome was decided; Corona made 2-of-8. free throws in the fourth quarter.