No. 18 Eastlake North pulled off a bit of an upset by traveling to No. 12 Rhodes and pulling out a 61-59 win in a Division II district semifinal on Tuesday.

The Rangers led by double digits in the second half before the Rams worked their way back into the game, creating some tense moments down the stretch.

“It’s nice when everything comes together,” said North coach Nick Mayer. “We emphasized all week how it was important to make sure that we had active hands, had five guys boxed out, and those are just focused effort things. I told the guys if we do those things, we’d give ourselves a shot at going on the road and getting a win. It was really nice for the guys to have some success after all the work they put in this week and to get the outcome we wanted.”

North’s fourth-quarter execution proved to be the difference in the win.

After the Rams tied the score at 59-59 with 1:24 left, Nate Tadiello picked off a Rhodes pass and took it the other way before being fouled at the top of the key.

Moments later, Tadiello took an in-bound pass and laid it in for what would become the game-winning basket.

“When they made a run, we just focused on what we have been working for all year, which was this moment,” Tadiello said. “We told ourselves to give 100 percent effort and fight until the end and we came out on top. We stayed mentally locked in and worked until the end.”

Tadiello sparked the Rangers early with 13 first-quarter points on the way to an 18-16 lead.

The Rangers weren’t showing any rust from a 10-day layoff.

“Getting back out there and coming away with a win in the clutch was so fun,” Tadiello said. “We have been preparing for this game for the past two weeks and it feels so good to come out on top.”

North used a 12-7 second-quarter run to extend its lead to 30-23 at the break.

Nate Sagendorph drained a pair of 3-pointers and Mikey Lowrie and Brand Bambrick each hit one long-range shot in the frame.

The Rangers used a 19-14 third-quarter advantage to push their lead to 49-37 heading into the fourth.

That’s when the Rams made their move.

“They kept pressuring us and we got a little careless with the ball,” Mayer said. “We just can’t give that up and we have to be better at that. It’s just a mental focus that we had a little bit of a lapse, and they shot the ball well. They started hitting back-to-back shots. Rhodes has some dudes that can shoot, so if they’re going to get some open looks, they were going to hit some shots.”

Despite being outscored 22-12 in the fourth, the Rangers executed down the stretch to seal their win.

Tadiello posted a game-high 25 points and Nate Sagendorph contributed with 22.

“Nate S definitely helps me as well as the team incredibly,” Tadiello said. “Having a teammate like him helps my game as well because they have to focus on containing both of us, which creates opportunities for my other teammates.”

Mat Sebring pitched in with four points, Lowrie and Bambrick finished with three, and Dino Capra and Braylon Rolf each scored two points for the Rangers in the win.

With the win, the Rangers improved to 9-14 overall and advanced to play top-seeded North Royalton in Saturday’s district championship game at Twinsburg High School.

“They’re solid,” Mayer said of North Royalton. “They shoot the ball well, they’re very unselfish, and they play quick. Their best defense is their offense. They just keep pressing and keep pushing and pushing.”