CLARION — For one quarter at least, it looked as though the Elk Catholic boys might be presented with a challenge on its quest for an undefeated season. But only for a quarter.

The Crusaders (25-0) rolled to another victory on Tuesday night, defeating North Clarion (14-10) 58-29 in the D9 Class A semifinals at Clarion University.

Nate DaCanal scored a game-high 20 points, while Gabe Kraus chipped in 14 of his own for ECC.

The big victory was highlighted by several large runs to start the first, second and fourth quarters.

That first-quarter run (7-0) was largely propelled by DaCanal, who had his way in the paint for most of the night. North Clarion simply didn’t have the size or length to deal with the rangy senior, who notched eight points in the first eight minutes alone.

But the Wolves recovered quickly, going on a 7-0 run of their own to give themselves and their (essentially) home crowd a boost of excitement.

“They’re putting some good athletes on the floor,” ECC coach Aaron Straub said. “They’re young and they’re going to be really good next year.”

After trailing just 11-9 after one, it looked like the Wolves might be able to give the Crusaders a fight. But ECC showed why it hasn’t lost a game all year, starting the second period on a 17-2 run.

Unsurprisingly, it was DaCanal who led the way, hitting several midrange shots for which North Clarion had no answer. Kraus added a couple of 3-pointers to boost the advantage.

“We were able to hit a couple of 3-pointers back-to-back where we got some separation,” Straub said. “If we don’t shoot the ball well it’s going to be a close game all the way through.”

As for North Clarion’s offense, the Wolves had to settle for jump shots for most of the game. Their inability to get to the rim proved costly, as the Crusaders seemed to be daring the Wolves to shoot from the outside.

“I think the big floor works to our advantage,” Straub said. “One thing we did well with was our location. We kept our kids relatively fresh. I think when you play on this floor that’s really important.”

ECC went into the half with a 30-16 lead. While the third quarter didn’t feature a huge run, the Crusaders continued to dominate on the glass.

Ryan Newton was a big factor in the third frame, notching most of his nine points in a short span by getting to the rim. Newton had perhaps the most impressive basket of the night, converting an alley-oop layup off an inbounds pass to give ECC a 40-20 lead.

North Clarion’s offensive struggles continued in the second half. The Wolves were getting contested no matter where they shot the ball from, with even their made baskets not coming easily.

Coach Straub, of course, still sees some room for improvement for his squad.

“I thought they got too much penetration on us,” he said. “So there’s definitely some things we need to clean up if we’re going to be successful.”

With a 41-22 lead after three, the Crusaders were well in control. But that didn’t stop them from starting the final quarter with another big run. ECC outscored North Clarion 13-2 in the first few minutes of the fourth, pulling away in emphatic fashion.

“I think we have the type of team that can go on a run,” Straub said. “We have some individually skilled offensive players.”

Nathan Banner was the Wolves’ leading scorer with 11 points. ECC’s defense prevented any other North Clarion player from finishing with more than five points.

Elk’s victory sets up yet another meeting with Johnsonburg, this time for the D9 Class A championship. The Crusaders and Rams have played three times this year, with ECC winning each time (72-37 on Dec. 13, 57-41 on Dec. 29, and 56-38 on Jan. 27).

Johnsonburg is coming off of a dramatic 51-50 victory over Otto-Eldred in its semifinal contest.

“Johnsonburg has to feel that they’re a team of destiny for winning that game tonight,” Straub said. “They’re well-coached, very athletic, they play hard. There’s no secrets when we play them; they know us as well as we know them.”

The game will take place on Saturday at Clarion University.

At CLARION

North Clarion (29)

C. Schmader 2 0-0 5, Nathan Banner 4 2-8 11, Hargenrader 2 0-0 5, S. Minich 1 0-0 2, L. Minich 1 0-0 2, Mills 1 0-0 2, Meyers 1 0-0 2, Totals 12 2-8 29.

Elk Catholic (58)

Mader 1 0-0 2, Hoffman 2 0-0 4, Dippold 1 0-0 2, Stauffer 3 0-0 7, Gabe Kraus 5 1-4 14, Newton 4 1-2 9, Nate DaCanal 10 0-0 20, Totals 26 2-6 58.

North Clarion  9  16  22  29

Elk Catholic   11  30  41  58

Three-point FGs: North Clarion 3 (C. Schmader, Banner, Hargenrader); Elk Catholic 4 (Stauffer, Kraus 3)

Total fouls: North Clarion 13, Elk Catholic 9. Fouled out: none