CATLIN – Two teams playing basketball. Two teams taking shots. Two teams missing shots.

One team rebounding made one big difference.

Salt Fork's work on the boards Wednesday propelled the defending Class 1A state champs into the finals of their own boys' basketball regional tournament with a 49-34 semifinal win against Schlarman.

"That's an area where we feel we can be successful," Salt Fork coach Aaron Hird said. "On the glass, with our size advantage, we have to be successful."

Salt Fork grabbed nine first-quarter rebounds. Schlarman had eight after three quarters.

The Storm, winner of 25 consecutive games, never trailed. Ryan Anderson scored the first points on a steal. Anderson also scored on two rebound efforts before intermission as Salt Fork (29-1) took a 31-10 lead at the break.

"Coach has been telling me for three years to get the easy baskets by being in the right spots on defense and getting rebounds," Anderson said.

Anderson scored 19 points. Teammate Joel Learnard had 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Hird hasn't taken it easy on his squad in practice.

"A lot of teams back off this time of year," Hird said. "We still go pretty hard."

More important, he said, the starters are pushed to the limit daily.

"We have five guys on the bench who make us better in practice," Hird said. "They don't see their names in the paper, but everyone in that locker room knows what they mean to us."

Salt Fork will play Chrisman in Friday's 7:30 p.m. all-Vermilion Valley Conference regional championship game.

Chrisman 64, G-RF 43. If Chrisman's Cody Owen needed motivation, it came to him before Wednesday's second semifinal game started. Participating in the pregame three-point shooting contest, the senior – one of the top eight scorers all time for the Cardinals – didn't advance.

"A kid said to me, 'If you're a college player, you should be able to make all of these,' " Owen said. "When the game started, I wanted to prove a point."

He proved his point, by making many.

His game-high 30 points included 10-of-15 accuracy from the field and 8 for 11 from beyond the three-point arc.

"Cody can get hot in a hurry and carry a team," Chrisman coach Greg Gisinger said. "He showed up big. That's what captains do."

The Buffaloes (16-13) had the hot hand early, taking a 12-6 lead. A three-pointer by Owen 90 seconds into the second period sent Chrisman (24-5) ahead to stay, 16-14.

Owen, who has offers from Millikin, Danville Area Community College and Olney Central College, made 5 of 15 unguarded shots during the pregame shooting contest.

Derrick McCormick had eight points and eight rebounds for the Cardinals, who made 57.1 percent of their shots from the field.

Korie Vire led G-RF with 11 points. Andy Cravens had 10 points and five rebounds.

G-RF made fewer than one-third of its field goal attempts (18 of 55), and Gisinger said "we didn't want to give up open three-pointers, and I was pleased with the way we closed out on their shooters."

Next up for the Cardinals is a Salt Fork team they've lost to twice by fewer than 10 points.

"We understand it will be a challenge, but we're up for the challenge," Gisinger said. "It was close both times before, and we're ready. Whoever wins will have earned this regional championship."