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From the opening tipoff, the Mountain Crest boys' basketball team used fast break after fast break en route a 67-42 win over Granger.
Junior Tyler Crosbie, who led the Mustangs with 17 points, said the up-tempo style is the team's bread and butter.
"We like to run as much as we can to wear the other team down, then we take over in the fourth quarter,"he said.
Mountain Crest was also aggressive on defense. Crosbie had several steals that led to easy baskets. Granger had almost no success getting the ball inside, which caused it to settle for outside shots.
But moore importantly, Mountain Crest kept Granger away from the free-throw line. The Lancers did not attempt their first foul shot until the 1:17 mark of the third quarter.
Coach Graydon Buchmiller said solid defense is what allows his team to get into its fast-paced offense.
"We have preached getting up and down the court from day one, but we can't do that if we don't get it done on defense," Buchmiller said. "We did a good job of that tonight, and it gave us more easy shots than normal."
Mountain Crest has won five straight games after starting the season 1-3. Crosbie said the biggest difference in the turnaround is team chemistry.
"We have really come together as a team, now that everyone is here. We had a few football players who weren't really here to start the season, but now they are back and we are trusting each other a lot more."
Buchmiller said this game was a good sign going into region play next week.
"This is the closest we have come to playing a complete four quarters," Buchmiller said. "We have to keep up that consistency, physically and mentally, and we'll be in the mix."