Despite a 12-point halftime lead, the message in the Flathead locker room was plain and simple.

“We made sure we would keep our composure throughout the whole game,” Flathead forward Joe Pistorese said of what the players and coaches talked about.

“That we didn’t let up. We had a comfortable lead, but we didn’t want to lose it.”

Flathead (12-8) responded with another solid half of basketball and rolled from there to an impressive 64-42 Western AA basketball home playoff victory over Missoula Hellgate (5-16) on Thursday.

Pistorese, who had five points at the intermission, scored 14 in the second half for a varsity career high of 19.

“He played great,” Flathead coach Fred Febach said of Pistorese.

“He showed some real initiative at times taking it to the rim and cashing in.”

Like on the final two points of the night when he punctuated the triumph with an NBA-like twisting 180 turn for a breakaway layup with a Hellgate players draped all over him.

“We came out fired up,” Pistorese said in the opening quarter.“It was clicking.

“Twelve, probably,” he said of his previous varsity best.

He did tally 28 points as a JV player last year.

Flathead had all five starters score in the first five minutes, with Tanner Salois netting seven of the Braves’ first nine points.

Flathead led at the break 17-8 on 8 of 14 shooting from the field.

“Every pass we made, we were looking for each other,” Pistorese said.

Flathead held Hellgate to another eight-point quarter in the second.

The Braves led by 18 in the opening half until the Knights connected on back-to-back treys to cut the deficit to 12.

Hellgate opened the second half with a quick basket to get within 10, but back-to-back treys by Pistorese and Salois put the Braves back on course.

Flathead led by as many as 20 points after that.

“I can’t say enough about these kids,” Febach said. “This is a very good basketball team. They play together, they have good chemistry. That’s what it takes.”

Salois and Karl Ingram gave Flathead balanced scoring with 10 points each. Jeremy Grosswiler was next with eight.

Jesse Ginn had 18 points and nine rebounds, and Nick Joscelyn 11 points for Hellgate.

George Sherwood led Flathead in rebounding with eight and was a big reason the Braves held a decisive edge on the glass, 53-40.

It was another physical second half for both teams, especially the fourth quarter. Flathead made 18 trips to the foul line, making 11 shots. The Braves were 17 of 32 for the game.

“It’s great at home,” Pistorese said of the rough play, namely in the second half.

“Our crowd feeds off of it. It’s almost worse for them (Knights).”

Flathead, seeded No. 3 for the playoffs, beat Hellgate, the No. 7 seed, in all three meeting this season.

Flathead advances to the state tournament for the first time in three years. The Braves will face the No. 2 seed from Eastern AA on Thursday in Billings.

Missoula Hellgate    8    8    10    16    —    42

Flathead    17    11    15    21    —    64

MISSOULA HELLGATE — Sam Hall 3 0-2 7, Nick Joscelyn 4 0-0 11, Carsen Hopfauf 0 1-2 1, Brent Daugherty 0 0-4 0, Conner Weston 2 0-0 5, Jesse Ginn 5 8-10 18. Totals: 14 9-18 42.

FLATHEAD — Tanner Salois 4 3-4 10, Ian Gillespie 1 0-0 3, Karl Ingram 3 4-10 10, Joe Pistorese 8 1-3 19, George Sherwood 1 4-7 6, Mike VanArendonk 1 1-1 3, Connor Tice 0 2-2 2, Jeremy Grosswiler 3 2-5 8. Totals: 21 17-32 64.

3-point goals: Hall, Joscelyn (3), Weston; Salois (2), Gillespie, Pistorese (2); Team fouls: Hellgate 24,