If there was trepidation from #1 seed Highland prior to Wednesday night's 6A quarterfinal matchup with arch-rival and 6A Central Region rival #9 Gilbert, it was erased quickly.

The teams matched up for the third time this season. Highland claimed two Central Region games 10 days apart in January. The most recent meeting (53-48 on Jan. 26 the closest of the two).

But Highland put Gilbert on the defensive from the get-go in this one, built a 29-14 halftime advantage and went on to claim a decisive 55-38 triumph at Highland.

Highland (27-3) advances to the conference semifinals on March 1. Highland's semi foe is fifth-seed Mesa Mountain View. Mountain View advanced posting a 61-55 road win over #4 Pinnacle. Gilbert, last season's 5A runner-up, finished the season 18-12.

Highland was paced by seniors Isaac Kaps and Noah Peterson. Kaps finished with eight points - six in the first period. Two of his three baskets in the quarter were layups off steals. Peterson added a steal resulting in a three-point play helping the Hawks lead 14-7 at quarter's end. Peterson led all scorers with 19 points spreading his scoring across all four quarters.

Gilbert wasn't able to make a significant run in the second half. The Tigers sliced two points off Highland's halftime advantage (44-31) after three quarters. Their deficit was 46-36 with 3:54 to play, but Highland closed with a 9-2 run over the final 3 1/2 minutes.

Highland received balanced scoring among its starters. Hayden Winegar joined Peterson in double figures with 10 points. Michael Johnson added seven points and Brock Knollmiller chipped in six points. Gilbert was led by senior Jaden Acuna with 15 points.