McHenry scored 19 points and led Waukegan after one quarter.

The Warriors had just 17 the rest of the way.

Despite hot starts from 6-foot-7 senior Adam Anwar and 6-foot-6 junior Nathan Ottaway, who each ended in double figures, McHenry was unable to keep pace with a tall and athletic Waukegan squad in Friday’s IHSA Class 4A regional final. Seven players had at least four points for the Bulldogs, who rolled over the Warriors 67-36.

“We took some quick shots that went in,” McHenry coach Corky Card said. “I really think the way to get at them is to get the ball inside, which they didn’t allow and that’s where things stymied up for us. ... They just took us out of what we were trying to do.”

Showing a zone defense throughout the evening, the No. 3 Warriors (20-13) forced errant shots by the No. 2 Bulldogs (24-7) early. But the rebounding battle went the way of Waukegan and 6-foot-7 forward Jaali Love, who cleaned up on the glass and posted a strong double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

“We knew we had a pretty good chance if we could keep them off the boards, especially the offensive boards,” said Anwar, who led McHenry with 17 points and five rebounds. “They grabbed so many offensive rebounds, which led to so many second-chance points.”

Waukegan, which advances to face either Guilford or Hononegah in a sectional semifinal at Hononegah on Tuesday, outrebounded McHenry 31-16 in Friday’s regional title game. But the Warriors led 19-18 after the first quarter, where Anwar and Ottaway combined to make seven field goals and drill two 3-pointers from distance.

“It was about the energy,” said Ottaway, who scored 10 points and added four rebounds. “We came in here and knew we were playing a great team, so we had to have energy from the start. We couldn’t come into the game thinking they’re good or we’re going to lose.”

The energy shifted toward the Bulldogs in the second quarter. The Warriors went scoreless for just over four minutes, while reserve guard Adrian Serrano canned two triples off the Waukegan bench. An old-fashioned 3-point play by Trey’veon Roberts, who finished a layup with a foul, put the Bulldogs up 31-23 and forced a timeout.

A 3-pointer and running slam dunk by Love ignited the Waukegan crowd and helped the Bulldogs take a 36-25 halftime lead. The Warriors remained committed to zone defense in the third quarter, but the Bulldogs answered from range, as senior guard Ryan Brown drained back-to-back threes to give Waukegan a double-digit lead.

After a McHenry timeout, Serrano picked the pocket of 5-foot-7 guard Cole Tapia and soared to the rim for an easy layup. Waukegan added more highlights in the fourth quarter, where Serrano lofted an alley-oop pass to the 6-foot-4 Simereon Carter, who pounded the ball through the basket for two of his 15 points in the game.

“We have a lot of work to do,” Card said. “We have to be able to shoot it and drive it a lot better than how we played tonight.”

Ball movement enabled the Bulldogs to capitalize against the zone defense. Waukegan, which went up 52-31 after three quarters, assisted on 14 of its made shots Friday night. Roberts finished with 14 points, five rebounds and four assists, while Brown had 11 points and Serrano compiled eight points and three assists.

“They’re one of the most athletic teams in the state,” Anwar said. “Our scouting report was to try and keep them off the glass, but they did an incredible job of finding the open gaps and wanting the ball more. That’s what you need in the playoffs. You need to have that dog in you and they really had that dog in them today.”