Staff photo / Preston Byers Ursuline’s Jaylen Gunther (1) shoots a 3-pointer while being fouled during Monday’s Division III sectional semifinal vs. Akron East at Ursuline High School.

YOUNGSTOWN –Third-seeded Ursuline rolled to a lopsided win in its Division III, Northeast 2, sectional semifinal against No. 50 Akron East on Monday.

The Irish began to pull away from the Dragons a little more than halfway through the first quarter and only continued to do so throughout their 76-35 home victory.

“I thought we played hard. I wouldn’t say I thought we played exceptionally efficient,” Ursuline head coach Keith Gunther said. “Some of that was coaching. I think I made a mistake by coming out and pressuring and running and jumping and doing things we normally don’t do, which allowed them to get some buckets early on. … I thought we looked OK for the first tournament game.”

Ursuline scored the first six points of Monday’s game as East focused much of its attention on Irish star point guard Jaylen Gunther, who had double and triple-teams sent his way most of the night. Despite the start, as well as a 2-19 record entering Monday, the Dragons managed to hang with the Irish through the first four minutes.

A Jaylen Gunther triple, however, began what would be a string of nine straight points for Ursuline, which never led by single digits after the run. By the end of the period, the Irish had grown their lead to 15.

Ursuline’s defense began to truly take its toll on East in the second quarter, during which the Dragons were limited to just three baskets and nine points. Meanwhile, the Irish continued to push the pace and their advantage to 30 by halftime.

Keith Gunther confirmed that the fast and aggressive start to Monday’s game was a response to Ursuline’s 61-48 loss to St. Vincent-St. Mary in its regular-season finale last week.

“We wanted to get the game going up and down. We wanted the pressure. We wanted to run and jump,” Keith Gunther said. “You want to get your kids in kind of tournament mode by playing a certain pace of the game. We wanted to do that right out of the gate.”

Midway through the third quarter, Alexander Simon gave Ursuline a 35-point lead, triggering the running clock, which stayed for the rest of the game.

On the night, Noah Bell led all scorers with 28 points. Jaylen Gunther had 17, and Anthony Fielding had a team-high 11 for East.

Monday’s win means Ursuline (17-5), the only team in Northeast 2 without a first-round bye, will host Maple Heights, the 45th seed, on Friday in a sectional final. The winner will play either No. 28 Akron Ellet or No. 34 Youngstown East on March 3.

Keith Gunther said that he opted for his team to play one more game than the rest of the bracket to avoid a long break between the end of the regular season and playoffs.

“I’ve never taken the bye because we usually end early. I do not want to be that team that has 14 days off before you have your tournament game,” Keith Gunther said. “I’d rather play a team that isn’t as talented or doesn’t have a great record to at least get a practice in, work on some things.”