Zane Restelli attacked with purpose and intensity, and the Baylor sophomore closed with authority in the Red Raiders' 57-49 victory over Tyner in a Best of Preps tournament semifinal Thursday at Chattanooga State.
The 6-foot-4 guard used spin moves, crossovers and high ball screens to drive into the paint. Restelli scored 20 of his game-high 27 points in the second half, including 12 straight in the fourth quarter, and he did his damage without making a 3-pointer as coach Mark Price's team advanced to Friday's 8:30 p.m. title game against rival McCallie.
"The high screen is our thing to get our offense going," Restelli said. "My teammates trust me to go out there and hoop and make plays off the dribble. We are motivated to win this tournament and keep Coach Price undefeated in the Best of Preps. He has won the other two he's been in, and we're trying to help him win a third and go 9-0."
The Red Raiders won the Best of Preps title in their two most recent appearances in 2018 and 2019 and will now try to take down the Blue Tornado, who are aiming to repeat as tournament champions.
Baylor (4-4) jumped out to a double-digit lead in the first quarter against Tyner as 6-foot-6 junior forward Jack Shutters used his size advantage down low. Shutters scored 10 points to help build a 27-20 halftime lead.
Junior point guard TJ Fields also sparked the Red Raiders early with a no-look find of Jakub Ucienszynski for a 3-pointer and a 16-8 lead, and Fields had a steal before assisting Restelli on a three-point play to make it 23-13 midway through the second quarter.
"Jack gave us a big lift offensively in the first half and was going up with great control under the basket," Price said. "TJ also has stepped up big for us with Nyziah Whaley out with an injury. He is an incredible defender and has made great decisions on offense for us. I am really proud of them."
Tyner (7-3) cut its deficit to 29-24 on a drive down the middle by Josh Jackson, but Restelli soon began his second-half dominance, jump-starting a 12-2 run with a spin move on the left side of the baseline for a layup. Restelli scored eight points in the dominant stretch, backing down one defender in the paint for a score and beating another off the right side of the baseline for an easy layup.
The Rams fought back, with Biship Smith's 3-pointer off an in-bounds play cutting their deficit to 45-39 with less than five minutes left in the fourth quarter.
However, Restelli helped the Red Raiders buckle down on defense, picking up his third blocked shot of the game just before completing a nasty crossover off the top right of the foul line for a 49-40 lead with three minutes left.
"Zane made really good decisions of when to get in there and when to finish," Price said. "His difference-making ability is getting better. He is the guy we want at the foul line at the end of the game. It's pretty unique for him to be able to block shots the way he does as a guard, too. He is fun to play with and hard to play against."
Tyner was led by sophomore guard Rodney Henderson, who had nine of his 15 points in the fourth quarter.
McCallie 48, Brainerd 44: Parker Robison popped off a screen to drain a tiebreaking 3-pointer in front of his bench with 2:29 left in the fourth quarter, and fellow senior Kollin Claridy burst down the right lane for a three-point play to build a 43-37 lead with 1:39 remaining.
McCallie (7-6) received a game-high 20 points from Robison, while Claridy chipped in with 12.
Donivon Thomas scored the first six points of the game, including two second-chance buckets, for Brainerd (9-7), which will take on Tyner in the third-place game at 5:30 p.m. Friday.
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com.