Ensworth senior forward Desmond Cambridge said his team has always been confident in its offense.
The Tigers found out that their defense can be pretty good also.
Ensworth used its defensive pressure to limit Pope John Paul II to 18 first-half points, and Cambridge scored eight points during pivotal second-quarter run that led the Tigers to a 63-43 win in the D-II AA quarterfinals at Ensworth.
Ensworth (23-5) moves to the semifinals, where it will meet Christian Brothers on Friday at Lipscomb University.
“We’ve been focusing on communication and transition defense a lot lately, because coach (Ricky Bowers) knew, and we knew that we could score,” said Cambridge, who led all scorers with 21 points.
“It’s big, and it’s great to go back and see Christian Brothers again, and we’re looking forward to it.”
Both teams struggled for most of the first quarter offensively, and Pope John Paul II (21-9) managed to close to within two when sophomore Mitchell Sorenson hit a 3-pointer to cut the Ensworth lead to 15-13.
However, Cambridge came right back, scoring eight straight points that led to a 25-18 halftime lead for the Tigers.
The Knights stayed within striking distance until midway through the third quarter when a basket by freshman forward James Wiseman, along with a layup and 3-pointer from Cambridge stretched the lead to 43-25.
The two teams split its regular-season match ups, with the Knights scoring 72 in both contests, but according to Bowers, the work on defense proved to the difference.
“We’ve been working on it, and the defense has definitely been a priority for us,” Bowers said.
“Our defensive emphasis has been all around the things that we can control, and I feel we’ve made real progress there.”
Ensworth limited Pope John Paul II to less than 35 percent shooting on the night.
“Ensworth has a lot of kids who are quick, and have good length, and they made it hard on us,” Pope John Paul coach Kip Brown said.
TSSAA postseason basketball pairings, results