Alter scored first on a 3-pointer by RJ Greer and never trailed.
The Knights (18-6) stretched their lead to 14 points with an 8-0 run late in the first, but Zyshawn Walker made a free throw with eight seconds left to set the first quarter score at 22-9.
The Knights scored the first five points in the second quarter and never looked back. Greer had eight points in a 15-1 run to open up a 37-10 lead, forcing Cougars coach Travis Hogue to call a timeout with 1:53 left in the half.
By then it was too late, though, as Alter got 3-pointers from Connor Watkins and Greer to finish the run.
Stephon Daughtery made a trey out of the timeout for Thurgood, but Watkins answered with another from behind the arc to set the halftime score at 40-13.
Credit: Marcus Hartman
Credit: Marcus Hartman
Greer, a 6-foot-3 senior who signed with North Carolina State, finished with a game-high 23 points while Brady Conner, a 6-6 point guard headed to Wright State, added 16 for the defending state champs.
Credit: Marcus Hartman
Credit: Marcus Hartman
They will play Taylor at a site to be determined in the district finals Saturday.
“We always want to take good shots,” Coulter said. “I thought tonight we passed up some really good shots to get some great shots.
“It’s hard for a team to come back unless they turn you over. So once you get that lead you can build off of that, and it’s hard putting free shots together. That’s where they were pressuring to try to get free shots and get us to turn it over, and I thought we did a nice job in the second half even extending the lead even more and also controlling the tempo of the game and not letting them have some leakouts and easy buckets and getting those runs.”
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