ROCHESTER – Austin out-shot St. Thomas Academy and shutdown the Cadets go-to scorer in the Section 1AAA boys basketball semi-finals Saturday. But none of it mattered as St. Thomas made up for those shortcomings with a strong outside shooting performance as it ended Austin’s season 57-44 in Mayo Civic Center.

The third-seeded Packers’ combination of the box and one and triangle and two defenses held St. Thomas forward Michael Fitzgerald to seven points, but the two-seeded Cadets (18-9 overall) hit 13 threes to counter his struggles.

“Our game plan going in was to limit Fitzgerald. He’s carried them in scoring all year and I thought we did a great job on him all game,” Austin head coach Kris Fadness said.

While the Packers’ zone defense closed in on the middle it left some open gaps for the Cadet’s sharpshooters. Billy Chapman hit four-of-six threes in the first half and finished with 25 points and seven total threes and Charlie Aslesen hit four second half treys to halt Austin’s comeback.

Aslesen hit three threes in a run that saw the Cadets extend their lead from 33-25 to 42-27 with 7:30 left in the game.

“That was a big stretch in the second half. That was a dagger,” Fadness said. “I’ve seen them play enough to know if they go man, they’re gonna drive it right down our throat. Our best chance was to force them to make perimeter shots.”

When it was 33-25, Austin had three chances to pull closer, but Connor Gunderson missed a three from the wing and the Packers missed two inside shots.

Austin (18-8 overall) came out of the gates strong, jumping out to a 9-4 lead with 13:53 left in the first half. But the Packers hit a scoring slump for a six-minute stretch as the Cadets scored 12 straight to take a 19-11 lead with 7:16 left in the first half.

Austin pulled to within 19-15 after Nate Justice hit a three and Chris Jahr hit a free throw with 6:46 left in the first half. But Austin didn’t score in the last five minutes of the first half.

“We were worried we wouldn’t come out hard, but we came out playing better than they did,” said Austin forward Connor Gunderson, who had 13 points and 11 rebounds. “Then we just got tired and couldn’t hit a shot. Everything was short.”

Fadness said the physicality of the Cadets wore on Austin.

“We’re not built like running backs and linebackers,” he said. “Their guys are thicker and stronger and they wore us down a little bit. They’re a good team.”

Gunderson said it was tough to watch as Chapman drilled three after three to keep the game out of reach.

“Chapman was hitting and there was nothing we could do. He’s just a good shooter,” Gunderson said.

Fadness is pleased with how his group ended a season that saw them finish second in the Big Nine Conference.

“They’ve done a lot of good things this year and we went down fighting,” he said. “They’ve got nothing to hang their heads about and they lost to a good team. This senior group is special to me. I’ve known all these guys since they were in elementary school. I know these relationships will last and I’m glad they were rewarded with a good finish.”

While Austin graduates seven seniors, Connor Gunderson, a junior, hopes the squad will be motivated next season.

“Last year we were mad that we lost in the first round and this year we got to the second round,” he said. “Hopefully next year we can maybe get to state or get to the section finals.”

St. Thomas will play No. 1 New Prague in the Section 1AAA finals in Mayo Civic Center Friday at 6:30 p.m.

St. Thomas 28 31 – 57

Austin 17 27 – 44

Austin scoring: Connor Gunderson, 13 points; Steven Rizzi, 10; Will Felten, 7; Chris Jahr, 5; Nate Justice, 3; Trent Vandertie, 3; T.J. Fritz, 2; Marcus Gunderson, 1; field goals: 41 percent (17-for-42); three-pointers: 38 percent (5-for-13); free throws: 71 percent (5-for-7); rebounds: 28 (Connor Gunderson, 11); turnovers: 16

St. Thomas scoring: Billy Chapman, 27; Charlie Aselsen, 14; Michael Fitzgerald, 7; Ben Ruble, 3; Tom Anderson, 2; Danny Trager, 2; Ryan Robinson, 2; field goals: 38 percent (20-for-52); three-pointers: 37 percent (13-for-35);free throws: 80 percent (4-for-5); rebounds: 23 (Fitzgerald, 8); turnovers: 9