Orem » While it's likely that no high school basketball team will ever play a perfect half of basketball, Wasatch came pretty darned close Friday night.

The Wasps advanced to the Class 3A boys' basketball title game by taking a hard-fought 61-54 victory over Hurricane at Utah Valley University.

How good were the Wasps?

In the second half, they didn't commit a turnover. They hit 21 of 23 free throws, and had four steals. Point guard McKay Murdock was especially impressive as he scored 14 of his 19 points in that second half and was perfect from the line in the fourth quarter.

Hurricane fans will also certainly note one other big statistic. The Tigers were outscored 28-9 from the line for the game and their two leading scorers, Zach Sorenson and Andrew Rich, fouled out in the fourth quarter.

In fact, Hurricane trailed only 52-49 when it was whistled with a technical late in the game. Wasatch converted on five straight free throws at that juncture to lead by eight and was never threatened again.

"We've been a decent free-throw shooting team all season long," said Wasatch coach Norman Hayter. "We can shoot free throws like that on a good night."

The lack of Wasatch turnovers was especially impressive considering the intensity of the game and the fact a berth in today's state title game was at stake.

"These kids have played a lot of ball over the years," said Hayter. "When you play a lot, you keep your composure and don't get rattled. We've been in a lot of tight situations and we've learned a lot of things."

No one was more composed than Murdock, who usually plays second fiddle to Wasp star Trevor Bamgartner. On this night, though, it was the point guard's turn to shine, especially in the second half when Hurricane stayed close.

The Tigers, led by Rich's 21 points and Sorenson's 12, stayed close all night but were never quite able to rattle a Wasatch team that has lost just one game this year.