AUGUSTA

When we say the Hyde boys’ basketball team got off to a quick start Saturday morning against Searsport, we aren’t kidding.

“We were up at 5 a.m.,” Hyde coach Corey Begly said. “We’ve been really focusing on that.”

Having to play the 8:30 Class D West quarterfinal is never a treat, even for a No. 3 seed and heavy favorite.

The Phoenix didn’t show any signs of hitting the snooze button, however, scoring the first 11 points and breezing past the No. 6 Vikings, 64-41, at the Augusta Civic Center.

Senior guard Kiefer Cundy led the Phoenix (15-4) with 18 points, including three 3-pointers, and seven rebounds. Sixth man Andrew Palermo provided 14 points and seven boards, while Antoine Montgomery anchored the backcourt with 13 points and five assists.

Hyde faces longtime tourney nemesis Valley (15-4) in the semifinals at 10 a.m. Wednesday.

“We had some tough games at the end of the season. We played Waynflete tough, and we played Valley up there tough,” Begly said. “We were looking forward to getting back on the court and getting started again.”

Montgomery drove for two and Greg Kidger scored on consecutive putbacks to send Hyde off and running. Palermo delivered on the fast break before Cundy rained down his first 3-pointer for an 11-0 lead with 3:29 remaining in the first quarter.

Jake Powell scored five unanswered points for Searsport (14-6), but Hyde rattled off nine more without interruption for a 20-5 cushion at quarter’s end. Palermo scored the final six, including a lay-up courtesy of his own steal, and a trey.

The Phoenix looked comfortable in the cavernous civic center auditorium, shooting 8-for-16 in the opening quarter. On the defensive end, Hyde held Searsport to 2-for-12 in the period and 3-for-17 in the half.

“We have an advantage in that our gym’s pretty open. A lot of Class D schools don’t have that,” Begly said. “This is pretty much a new team. They’re good guys. They’re humble, they work hard and they get what they deserve.”

Hyde led 33-13 at the half, and Cundy scored nine of his 18 in the third period to keep the Vikings at bay.

The focus of the Phoenix defensive effort, Troy Reynolds, was shut out until the fourth quarter. He finished with seven points for Searsport.

“Reynolds is one of the best players in Class D. He was averaging 25 points per game,” Begly said. “We looked to match up and face-guard him and make it hard for him.”

Through the end of the third quarter, six of Searsport’s seven field goals were 3-pointers. They chalked up a total of eight from beyond the arc.

Eric Phillips paced the Vikings with 14 points. Powell put together eight points, eight rebounds and five blocked shots.