SHOOTING — Edison’s Zac Easter looks to shoot against Bridgeport in a Division III sectional semifinal on Tuesday. (Joe Catullo)

RICHMOND — The Edison boys basketball team left no doubt against Bridgeport on Tuesday.

The Wildcats jumped out to a big lead and never looked back, en route to 57-23 victory over the Bulldogs in a Division III Eastern District sectional semifinal at home.

The majority of the second half was played with a running clock due to the OHSAA mercy rule.

“The key to these games is to just get the win,” Edison (7-16) head coach Nate Moses said. “Eight teams in our district are going home tonight. We are one of eight teams going on. We understand the task ahead of us against Meadowbrook, who is one of the best teams in the district and in all of Division III in the state of Ohio. We are going to enjoy this win. The kids played hard. I was happy all of our seniors scored.”

Edison forced Bridgeport to commit turnovers on its first seven possessions of the game, and the Wildcats raced out to a 12-0 lead. The Bulldogs went 9:30 without making a field goal.

“We were not ready to play,” Bridgeport (4-19) head coach Donnie Cash said. “We looked like we did not want to be here. That’s not the way we practiced. They jumped on us. We have to more heart and more grit. We did not show up. We talked, and I told them I feel sorry for their parents having to drive all this way, to have to pay to get in and to have to watch that. That is not the showing we wanted to put forth.”

With the win, Edison will play No. 2 seed Meadowbrook in a sectional co-final at 7 p.m. Friday night in Byesville. Meadowbrook advanced to the co-final by defeating No. 15 seed West Muskingum, 73-26, Tuesday night at home.

Edison played 15 players, and 10 of them scored. Issac Schmitz scored a game-high 18 points, while Zac Easter recorded 11 points and Andrew Kinney nine points, while pulling down a game-high 11 rebounds.

Moses was happy his seniors were able to end their careers at home with a victory.

“Not everyone in the state gets to do that,” he said. “All of our seniors scored. That was nice. It was nice for them to end their careers on their home floor with a win. Now, we get to play for a sectional title. That is always a goal. Now, we get the chance to try and do that.”

Eric Williams led the Bulldogs with seven points and four rebounds.

Bridgeport committed 24 turnovers — 11 of which came in the first quarter.

“We played a lot of younger kids this season,” Cash said. “We knew it was going to be a struggle for us. We lost five seniors from last year.

“We are trying to change the attitude and the culture. You are only in high school once. I tell the kids to make the most of it. When it is all over, you don’t want to have any regrets.”

Edison led 22-2 at the end of the first, and the victors extended their advantage to 38-13 at halftime. The hosts led 53-18 entering the fourth.

“Coach Cash is doing a good job with them,” Moses said. “Sometimes, you have to discipline your kids. It is tough, but you have to do it for the better of your program. I know there were a couple of kids who normally play who weren’t. As a coach, that is hard to do, but I respect coach Cash for doing it.”

Edison 57, Bridgeport 23

Bridgeport 2-11-5-5 — 23

Edison 22-16-15-4 — 57

BRIDGEPORT (4-19): Dulesky 0 1-2 1; Gregorcic 0 0-0 0; Ray 0 2-2 2; Sommer 0 0-0 0; O’Kernick 2 0-1 5; E. Williams 0 1-4 1; Stark 3 1-2 7; Mainetti 1 1-2 3; Waterman 1 0-0 2; Stewart 0 0-0 0; Sauvageot 0 2-3 2; C. Williams 0 0-0 0; Stanton 0 0-0 0; Marling 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 7, 8-16: 23.

EDISON (7-16): Sinicropi 2 0-0 5; Woods 0 0-0 0; Robinson 1 0-0 2; Easter 5 1-3 11; McAfoose 0 1-2 1; Schmitz 9 0-0 18; Scott 1 0-0 2; Kinney 3 3-4 9; Shrieve 0 0-0 0; Sanders 1 0-0 3; Zastidil 0 0-0 0; A. McBane 2 0-0 4; Pugh 1 0-0 2; I. McBane 0 0-0 0; Mayle 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 24, 5-9: 57.

3-POINT GOALS: Bridgeport 1 (O’Kernick); Edison 2 (Sinicropi, Sanders). REBOUNDS: Bridgeport 17 (E. Williams 4); Edison 29 (Kinney 11), TURNOVERS: Bridgeport 24; Edison 13.