Throughout the first quarter of Wednesday night’s first round game of the Class AAAA state basketball playoffs, Statesboro looked like a team with a bunch of players getting their first experience in the postseason.
    For the next three, the Blue Devils showed exactly why they are a No. 1 seed.
    Statesboro pulled away in the second quarter and never looked back, cruising to a 51-39 victory over Baldwin County at the Devil’s Den.
    Tied at 8-8 after one period of play, the Blue Devils (27-3) dominated the Braves (16-14) in every facet of the game the rest of the way.
    “This is the first experience at state for most of these guys,” SHS coach Lee Hill said. “You could tell that we started out a little tight, but once we got settled in I thought that everyone played pretty well.”
    No single Blue Devil stole the show — O’Aaron Ware’s 14 points led all scorers and he was the only SHS player in double digits — but all five starters scored at least six points in a balanced effort.
    Even more impressive for Statesboro was the defense.
    Baldwin County came into the night averaging 58 points per game. Until a late rally in the final two minutes, the Braves were sitting at about half of that number.
    “We really stepped it up on defense,” Hill said. “The whole game, we were taking up the passing lanes and we were getting a hand in their faces on every shot. Baldwin made a few at the end, but we had already pulled away enough to still be comfortable.”
    From the end of the first quarter to the 2 minute mark in the fourth quarter, the Braves connected on just six field goals. One look was about all Baldwin got on each possession as Alex Simmons pulled down 14 rebounds for the Devils and Jonathan Taylor added seven more.
    Marquise Williams led the Braves with 10 points.
    Statesboro opened up a small lead late in the second quarter and took total control of the game when Zaquavian Smith and Yakeem Coleman hit back-to-back 3-pointers to send SHS into halftime with a 24-11 lead.
    The Devils’ advantage grew as large as 21 points in the third quarter and by the time Baldwin’s offense arrived in the closing minutes, the game was well in hand.
    Statesboro now advances to the Sweet Sixteen where it will host either Jonesboro or Crisp County Saturday at 7 p.m.
   
    Mike Anthony may be reached at (912) 489-9404.