The Clements High Colts got the shot they wanted.

They will face Tanner for the fourth time this year on Thursday in the semifinals of the Class 2A, Area 15 Basketball Tournament at the Rattlers’ gym.

But Clements head coach Brian Gafford certainly wanted to get more out of the game that go them there.

The Colts got 25 points from Gerard Robinson and 20 from Blake Moore but had an otherwise sloppy performance in disposing of Hatton 70-48 in an first-round encounter Tuesday night.

“It was very sloppy,” Gafford said. “We knew if we played well, we would win, but we wanted to do something to get ready for Friday. All we did was play good enough to win.

“We didn’t do anything to make ourselves better. Now we’ve got two practices to get ready for Tanner. We’ve got two days to get ready to play the biggest game these guys have ever played.”

The Colts (15-15) needed a little more than half a quarter to take command against the Hornets.

Robinson had eight points in the first 4:04 of play and gave Clements a 16-3 lead when he scored down low with 3:56 left in the opening period.

The Hornets cut the lad to 16-7 on Darren Hand’s basket with 3:05 left, but went the next 6:04 without a basket, and Clements took a 22-7 lead on Josh Eaton’s follow-shot with 6:14 left in the second quarter.

The Colts had 14 offensive rebounds and just eight turnovers in taking a 33-18 halftime lead.

“We rebounded better, and we’ve done that the last few games,” Gafford said. “Against Tanner, we’ve got to do that.”

Robinson had a double-double with 10 rebounds to go along with his 25 points. Moore added nine rebounds to his 20-point output. Eaton also finished with nine rebounds, while scoring eight points.

The Colts built a 22-point lead, 44-22, on Robinson’s 3-point play with 4:59 left in the third quarter. But the Colts had turnovers on 11 of their final 12 possessions of the quarter, and were outscored 12-2 as the Hornets pulled within 12, 46-34, on Tevin Terrell’s basket with 0.5 seconds left in the quarter.

However, Robinson got inside for two of the next three Clements’ basket, and put the Colts back up by 18, 52-34, with a basket with 6:44 left in the game.

Jeremy Craig’s 3-pointer, and Cornelius Yarbrough’s put back made it a 24-point lead, 67-43, after Yarbrough’s basket with 45 seconds to play.

“We got it inside all night when he (Robinson) wasn’t in there, but the other guys couldn’t finish,” Gafford said. “We’re getting it inside more the last five or six games, and that’s good.

“We’ve got to hit from outside more against Tanner. Maybe we’re saving them for Friday.”

The Colts were just 2 of 14 from 3-point range in the game, with Craig’s basket with 1:17 to play in the game and Brian Leonard’s 3-pointer at the buzzer being their only outside shots.

Jordan Waldrep led Hatton with 14 points, but was the only Hatton player in double figures. Nathan Berryman and Will Nichols each scored seven points for the Hornets.

With Hatton behind them, the Colts take one last shot at the Rattlers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.

“I’d take one out of four if I could get this one,” Gafford said. “Anybody would. That’s not much of a statement.”