MIDDLETON — With less than 4 minutes to play in the fourth quarter and his team in total control, Madison Memorial boys basketball coach Steve Collins called a timeout, pointed to the scoreboard and made an emphatic point to his young team.

The top-seeded Spartans had a 19-point lead in what would become a 69-48 victory over fifth-seeded Watertown in a WIAA Division 1 sectional semifinal on Friday night.

Collins was upset his players didn't get back on defense and had allowed an easy layup. This was no time to relax.

"That's what I was getting at, reminding them what was at stake," Collins said. "I think we were going to win the game at that point, but what's at stake for (today) and you can't let up."

Memorial (20-2), which starts two sophomores and a junior and only has three seniors on the team, played like it knew full well what was at stake.

The Spartans are trying to earn a fifth straight trip to state after playing in the title game three of the past four years.

It was the 13th straight win for the Spartans — and the margin of victory in only one of them was single digits. But when Collins was asked if he was happy with where his team is at, he chuckled, saying it depended on the day.

"I'm never quite sure what I'm going to get from the young guys," he said. "They played like they've played in this game (before) and only a couple of them had."

The Spartans survived foul trouble from sophomore point guard Tre Creamer and senior guard Devonte Maymon. Collins got quality minutes from junior Xavier Jones off the bench, showing their depth.

They also showed their balance, when Watertown packed its zone around Memorial forward Jeronne Maymon.

"That was the hope, just make sure we were conscious of him, so not only would we prevent him from taking care of the offensive glass and dominating, but also put a little pressure on him because he shot so well from the perimeter against West the other night," said Watertown coach Jamie Koepp, whose team finished 18-5.

Memorial jumped out to a 21-7 lead even though Jeronne Maymon hardly touched the ball and had only two field goals in the stretch.

In the third quarter, sophomore guard Vander Blue erupted for Memorial, scoring 13 of his game-high 23 points. Jeronne Maymon finished with 17 points and Devonte Maymon had 10.

"I think Vander Blue's the real deal," Collins said. "Vander's only 15 years old, he turns 16 in July, so he's a young sophomore. But he plays like he's 21."

That could be bad news for future opponents if Memorial continues to play beyond its years.

"It's just a good, quality team," Koepp said. "As they continue to play together, they'll get a little better because they're a pretty inexperienced team with a lot of youth."