For the boys’ basketball team from Glendale Mountain Ridge, it was fun while it lasted.

The 23^rd-seeded Mountain Lions had everything to gain and nothing to lose, going up against No. 2 seed Laveen Cesar Chavez in a Division I quarterfinal game on Tuesday night (Feb. 19) at Arizona State University’s Wells Fargo Arena.

Mountain Ridge led most of the way before Cesar Chavez turned up the intensity on defense and rallied for a 56-52 victory.

Cesar Chavez (29-2) advances to face third-seeded Phoenix Pinnacle in a semifinal game on Thursday at Wells Fargo. Tipoff is 4:15 p.m. Mountain Ridge finished 17-11.

Cesar Chavez trailed by four points entering the fourth quarter, but outscored Mountain Ridge 13-5 in the final period to earn the win.

Champions coach Gary Lee said the play of sophomore guard Thomas Smith gave his team a spark.

“We increased our defensive pressure,’’ Lee said.

His team also applied defensive pressure in the first half, “but there was no meat to it,’’ he said.

Mountain Ridge point guard Tanner Waldrip scored 13 points in the first half and forward David Taylor scored 10.

“He (Waldrip) was spectacular in the first half,’’ Lee said.

But Waldrip had expended a great deal of energy by the time the fourth quarter rolled around, and he and his teammates began to show fatigue. That’s just what Lee’s team wanted, and they seemed to be a step or two faster.

Waldrip scored just 3 points (on free throws) and Taylor did not score in the second half. Mountain Ridge’s outside shooting fell off a bit, and the inside game was shut down by the presence of 6-5 junior Pablo Rivas, whose blocked shots and the threat of same started to take their toll.

On offense, guard Will Holt scored nine of his 11 points in the second half. Guard Tyler Bell finished with 12 points, and Cesar Chavez had 10 players who scored.

Despite the outcome, Mountain Ridge coach Eli Lopez was proud of his team’s effort.

“We played as hard as we could,’’ he said. “We put in a lot of hard work this year, and we got a lot of benefit from it.

“We are excited about our future. Every year, you try and take a good group of kids and teach them how to play. Our kids this year helped to build a good foundation.’’