The regional high school boys basketball team took the lead in the second quarter and never looked back in a 63-53 upset of the Case Cardinals in the first round of the division 3 south sectional tournament Tuesday night.

Playoff jitters from the 10th-seeded Vineyarders gave Case the early advantage, but the Vineyarders soon regained the momentum with turnover-free play and a 21-9 point run in the second quarter, led by three three-pointers from Jeremy Regan. The Vineyard went into the half up 30-25 and never lost the lead after that.

The strong offense continued in the third quarter with Regan and Ramon Dos Santos both vying for top scorer, eventually tying at 15 points apiece. Solid defense and baskets from senior Sam Wallace helped the Vineyard extend the lead to 14 points midway through the quarter, ending up at 45-36 going into the fourth quarter.

“Everyone was stepping up and helping. We were really balanced all the way around so they couldn’t key on one person,” said coach Mike Joyce after the game.

Case came back to a six-point deficit in the fourth quarter, but Aiden Rogers held off any chance of a comeback with a five-point offensive run, ending the game with 12 points. Aiden Araujo then put the game out of reach with a pair of pivotal free throws.

With the big win, the Vineyarders now move on to play second-seeded Bishop Stang in the quarterfinals on Friday at Bishop Stang. The last time the two teams met, the Vineyarders lost by 18 after a tie at the half. This time around the Vineyarders will have to play without two of their defensive standouts, senior Dylan Dyke and Mike Trusty.

Though they are undoubtedly the underdogs, Mr. Joyce said the strong performance from the team on Tuesday gives him confidence that they’ll have a fighting chance at another upset.

“You have to play all four quarters with a high level of effort and intensity,” he said. “They did a good job of that today. It will be fun.”

This story has been changed to include the correct name for Jeremy Regan. An earlier version reported that the three three-pointers were scored by Jared Regan — who is the twin brother of Jeremy.