James River jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, as they dominated Honaker, 69-48, in the the quarterfinals of the Group A state boys tournament Friday night at the Salem Civic Center.

The Knights (26-2) bolted out to an 18-8 lead after the opening quarter and by the time the half rolled around, held a 29-20 advantage. Jordan Talbott, John Bennett and Patrick Bennett would score eight points apiece in the first half to combine for 24 of James Rivers' 29 points.

Things didn't get any better for Honaker (12-14) in the third quarter, as James River outscored the Tigers 21-10 to take a comfortable 52-30 lead into the final eight minutes of action. Both teams gave their reserves playing time in the fourth quarter, as James River would continue to pull away for the 69-48 victory and a trip to Richmond for the state semifinals next Friday afternoon at 12:15 p.m.

For the game, James River connected on 28-of-52 shots for 54 percent, while Honaker shot a frigid 30 percent (16-54). The Tigers turned the ball over 22 times compared to 16 for the Knights.

James River had 30 rebounds with 22 of them coming on the defensive end. Honaker pulled down 40 boards with 23 of them on the defensive side.

Clark Dye led Honaker with 13 points and Ethan Davis tossed in 12 points.

Patrick Bennet led James River with a game-high 21 points Ethan Humphries contributed 12 points, Jordan Talbott chipped in with 11 points and John Bennett added 10 points.

Click here to see addition photos from the game in our Photo Gallery.

Photo: James River's Jordan Talbott (#32) drives around Honaker's Derrick Murphy and a fellow James River teammate during Friday night's Group A quarterfinal game at the Salem Civic Center. (Photo by David Grimes)