SHADYSIDE — Sometimes, one shot can spark a team.

Such was the case Saturday night for Shadyside in their Ohio Division IV sectional championship game against Steubenville Catholic.

The LTs (20-4) hadn’t exactly blown the roof off offensively during the first half, but Syd Destifanes’ trey to end the second quarter sparked a 17-4 run to start the third and propelled Shadyside to a 60-38 victory and a berth in Wednesday’s district semifinal opposite Beallsville at Martins Ferry High School.

“We were able to get out in transition, and that got us going,” Shadyside head coach Serge Gentile said. “We got some easy buckets and some wide-open 3s. That kick started us. Everything got going for us from there.”

Destifanes finished with a team-best four bonus bombs en route to a game-high 20 points. Baylee Wach added 19 points, including 11 straight to start the decisive third.

“Once she saw her shot go in a couple of times, that got her confidence going,” Gentile said of Wach, who was backed by Tori Hendershot’s 10 points. “It’s amazing what happens when you see the ball go in.”

As Gentile sees it, shooting is contagious. And when Shadyside gets hot, they get really hot.

“Syd, who had four 3s, is one of the best shooters on the team,” he said. “But, really, we have good shooters from top to bottom.”

Jess Looman, the Crusaders’ head coach, wanted to try to limit Shadyside’s outside prowess as much as possible after watching the LTs hit 11 in the first half during a meeting earlier this season. Her defense limited them to just six in the first 16 minutes, but two of them — both part of eight straight points scored by Destifanes — came during an 8-0 run that saw the LTs increase their lead from five to 13 early in the second quarter.

“We told the girls they are going to have to beat in a 2-point game rather than a 3-point game,” she said.

That worked for a while, but eventually Shadyside wore them down.

“I’m proud of how my girls played,” Looman said. “We only play six girls and they got tired. Shadyside has some nice kids and they’re the No. 1 (seeded) team in the district for a reason.”

Wach ended up scoring 11 of Shadyside’s first 13 points of the third. Then, Brooke Selmon came alive, scoring six of the team’s eight points of the period. Everything came, Gentile said, as a result of solid defense and lightning-quick movement up and down the court.

“That’s the way we want to play,” he said. “We want to play fast. We think that’s our strength, especially when we can spread the floor with the athletes we have.”

He’s looking forward to meeting the Blue Devils (20-4). The OVAC 1A champs topped Tusky Catholic, 42-38, Saturday.

“This district is loaded with some really good teams,” Gentile said, also referring to the River-Fort Frye matchup.

“But, we’re familiar with Beallsville and they’re familiar with us,” he said. “We have to come ready to play.”

The Crusaders (13-11) said farewell to two seniors — Julia Zatta, who paced them with 14 points, and Christie Dombrowski.

“I want to thank them,” Looman said. “They both played pivotal roles in what the program is now.”