Palm Desert's boys basketball team broke open a tight game on the road at Tustin High School, advancing to the CIF Division III-AAA semifinals Friday night with a 49-44 win.

The Aztecs will host Friday's game against Arroyo Grande, because the Eagles upset win over top seed La Verne Damien. It's just the second trip to the semifinals ever for Palm Desert.

“We played unbelievable team defense,” Palm Desert coach Don Brady said to MyDesert.com. “To beat [Tustin] is a testament to our guys believing in each other and I'm extremely proud of them.”

The Aztecs ended Tuesday's game on 9-0 run, after trailing 44-40 late in the fourth quarter.

Robert Romero lead all scorers with 18 points as the Aztecs ended the Tustin's 14 game win streak. Aztecs Jon Serven added 16 points, while Brian Serven had 11 points, including three 3-pointers.

“[Tuesday] was the best victory of our high school careers and we're looking forward to a great matchup on Friday,” Romero told MyDesert.com.