HARTLAND - The Huron High School boys basketball team likes to say its opponents are going to face "32 minutes of hell" when they take the floor.

For North Farmington on Monday night, it was more like 16 minutes of bumper cars-on-the-Autobahn followed by 16 minutes of stuck-in-traffic frustration.

Huron pulled back its trademark full-court, trapping pressure after halftime of the Class A regional semifinal at Hartland High School and limited North Farmington to 14 second-half points in a 60-41 win.

Huron (20-4) will play Novi (18-5) in Wednesday's 7 p.m. regional championship game. The winner of that contest advances to a March 23 quarterfinal at Grand Blanc High School against either Saginaw Arthur Hill or Mount Pleasant.

"Initially it was a decision made out of necessity ... but it worked," Huron coach Waleed Samaha said of settling into a 2-3 zone defense after the River Rats had gotten themselves into some foul trouble in the first half.

"And then our coaches wouldn't let me come out of it. It was their idea to go into it, it was their idea to stay in it. The stubborn side of me wanted to press again ... but they were right. It was a good decision."

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North Farmington coach Tom Negoshian taught Samaha and his staff their full-court trap, so the Raiders were fully aware of what to expect from Huron. And vice versa.

Negoshian said his players, however, don't see it run in practice by a team with the River Rats' depth, size and ability.

"They do a great job with it," Negoshian said. "They're very athletic, very well-coached and very disciplined. They do a great job."

Huron led by as many as 14 points in the first half, but North Farmington (16-8) guard Kyle Vinales cut it to eight, 35-27, right before halftime with his fourth steal and fast-break basket of the night.

While Huron had at least a three-inch height advantage at every position, Vinales and fellow 6-foot Raider senior guard Robert Hogans attempted to cancel out that edge with their quickness.

"(Facing North Farmington's press) was easier because we practice against it every day in practice," Huron's 6-foot-6 guard Dante Williams said. "But it was a little harder because you had to get lower on defense and they were a little bit quicker than most guards out there. They're quick. They're a good team."

Huron's goal was to limit the high-scoring Vinales to less than 30 points, and barely did. He finished with 28.

"When you want to hold somebody to 30," Samaha said. "That's an incredible testimony to their ability."

Vinales scored 17 of his game-high point total in the first half. Then, like the rest of the Raiders, Huron limited his opportunities in the second half.

With the River Rats packed in their zone, North Farmington was forced to launch from outside. And it didn't go well.

The Raiders were 6-of-26 (.231) from the floor in the second half, including 2-of-15 (.133) from 3-point range.

"I thought we were a little out of character for us at times tonight. I thought we took some hurried shots," Negoshian said. "Hogans hasn't had a bad shooting night in 20-some games, and he had one tonight (2-of-13).

"And we don't have the type of team that can overcome those types of mistakes. We're not as athletic as they are or as big as they are. If we miss shots like that, then we're in trouble because we don't get many put-backs."

Huron, on the other hand was patient and effecient on offense. They were 8-of-15 shooting in the second half and 7-of-8 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter.

The patient approach was purposeful against the North Farmington pressure.

"They still turned us over at least 20 times, and that was with us being incredibly patient," Samaha said. "If we would have gone into it bullheaded, it would have been a massacre. We knew we had to have patience against their press, because we know that's how you beat us."

Another key strategic move was placing junior guard A.J. Mathew in the high post in Huron's half-court offense. From there, Mathew matched Williams with a team-high 12 points and dished out seven assists.

He and senior Andrew Gleichert hooked up on three high-low post passes early in the third quarter that helped the River Rats stretch their lead back to double-digits for good.

Jalen Bouma then scored seven of his 11 points in the fourth quarter and Kyle Baker put an exlamation point on the regional victory with a one-handed baseline dunk with 1:01 left to play.

It was a win that gave Samaha mixed emotions.

"I'm incredibly happy for our kids but for me, personally, it's just bittersweet. It's like coaching against your dad," Samaha said. "I hope (Negoshian) and his kids appreciate that they made us a better team."

Negoshian returned the compliments, although he joked with Samaha that his team would have had a better chance had he not taught him the press.

"Waleed is a great young guy, and I was fortunate when I was younger that older guys helped me," Negoshian said. "We don't do that enough in our profession. He wants to learn and he wants to get better. So why would I not do that for him?"

Rich Rezler covers high school sports for AnnArbor.com. Contact him at 734-623-2553 or richrezler@annarbor.com.