WAYNESBORO, Ga. --- Hephzibah spent 16 minutes trying to cut a T-bone with a plastic spork.

That's how ineffective the Lady Rebels were for a half of the Region 3-AAA semifinal against Butler. It seems a bit critical to focus on those difficulties since Hephzibah rolled to a 74-33 win, but that's what happened.

Hephzibah led 14-11 at the end of the first quarter and by nine at the half. But the most important score was when Butler made back-to-back baskets to pull within 32-25 with 5:40 to go in the third quarter.

That's the moment when Hephzibah dropped the hammer bounding out to a 29-8 advantage in the third quarter and a 44-12 second-half run. For the game, Butler scored four more points than they allowed the Lady Rebels in the third quarter.

There was a reason for that.

"We came out of the box coach Lofton was running," Hephzibah coach Wendell Lofton said. "My coaches said let's don't worry about (Ashley Watts) so much and let's just run what we run."

That box worked, taking the Butler point guard out of her game. She had zero points. But it also took the Lady Rebels out of their preferred style of play.

Hephzibah reverted back to form after a conversation between Lofton and assistants Angela Anderson, Arthur Marshall and Erika Stokes. The recommendation was to junk the box and go back to the man-to-man defense the Rebels ran all season.

When the coaches went in to instruct the team about that change, a single voice greeted them on their way to the team.

"Take us out of the box," senior guard Jasmine Judge said.

Exit spork. Enter blowtorch.

Hephzibah (25-1) carved up the Bulldogs with a clinic of perimeter shooting and pressure defense. The Lady Rebels scored the next 14 points of the game and closed out the quarter on a 27-4 run.

Aarika Judge had 12 of her 22 points that quarter. Her sister, Jasmine, had five of 11. Senior Aubern Marshall had 10 of her 17 points -- all coming in the second half.

"It's what we have done all year and were comfortable with," Jasmine Judge said. "It's all five girls playing instead of worrying about one girl. When that girl moved around, it messed up our rhythm."

Shameka Carter led Butler with eight points.

"I don't think their defensive change had a thing to do with their rhythm," Butler coach Keisha Stewart said of her team. "What we were doing taking the ball to the hole had them out of rhythm. Period. ... In my heart of hearts, I think this game got away from us because of what we didn't do. And not what Hephzibah did to us."

Hephzibah will try for its seventh consecutive region title at 7 tonight vs. Glenn Hills.