Seabury's Austin Gaumer (24) steals the ball from Council Grove's Peyton Lerner (5) during their game Tuesday evening at Bishop Seabury.

There’s no question Bishop Seabury’s boys basketball players can score points in a hurry. With a strong group of guards, they can drive into the paint or hurt teams with shots from the outside.

When the Seahawks are at their best defensively, that’s when games turn into routs. When they became more active on defense in the second half on Tuesday against Council Grove, the Seahawks pulled away for a 79-54 victory at Seabury.

The Seahawks (11-1, ranked No. 7 in Class 2A) opened the third quarter with a 13-2 run, turning an eight-point lead at halftime into a 51-32 advantage. Playing in a zone defense, the Seahawks deflected passes and hurried into their transition offense. That’s where the fun begins. No-look passes. Open shots from behind the arc. Sophomore Thomas diZerega scored eight points in the spurt.

Some teams use a zone defense to prevent drives into the paint. Seabury, which forced 28 turnovers, used it to get into the faces of ball handlers and create more havoc.

“We don’t play a zone to not guard you,” Seabury coach Ashley Battles said. “We play to a zone to attack you.”

The Seahawks, playing without junior standout Mikey Wycoff because of an ankle injury, found a rhythm offensively behind point guard Zach McDermott. The 5-foot-11 sophomore fills a stat sheet like it’s a coloring book. He scored a game-high 25 points with nine rebounds, five assists and two steals.

McDermott is the engine behind Seabury’s potent offense, which averages 73 points per game. He shakes defenders with his quickness and ball-handling, driving into the paint before he decides to go up for a layup or pass when the defense collapses. Waiting on the perimeter are sharpshooters. Sophomore Bansi King, who steps into his shooting range from the parking lot, knocked down five three-pointers, and junior Max Easter added two triples.

Without Wycoff on the court, McDermott has put it on himself to make up for his absence.

“It’s kind of a different role, but I still have to get people buckets,” McDermott said. “Just take a little more pressure upon myself to make plays.”

McDermott has become more efficient on offense this season, but he’s also slid into a leadership role. He’s the player who pulls his teammates into huddles on the court, making sure they are all on the same page about plays.

“He’s a lot more mature,” Battles said. “He’s a very good player. He can do a lot on the floor. When I played, I thought I had great court vision, but he sees things I don’t even see.”

When the Seahawks raised their intensity on the defensive end, the Seahawks forced five straight turnovers in the third quarter. Council Grove (9-6) only scored two points in the first seven minutes of the second half — a layup-and-the-foul bucket by Brett Frye, who scored 23 points.

The Seahawks will face Ottawa at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Seabury.

COUNCIL GROVE (54)

Kyle Hayes 0-3 0-0 0, Hunter Cowdin 2-3 1-2 5, Evan Cunningham 4-9 0-0 11, Blake Buchman 2-4 0-0 6, Peyton Lerner 3-3 1-1 7, Chandler White 0-7 0-2 0, Brett Frye 9-11 5-6 23, Daniel Bachura 0-0 0-0 0, Kobe Hula 0-1 0-0 0, Sam Kirk 0-1 0-0 0, Logan Bieling 1-1 0-0 2, Braden Reddick 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-43 7-9 54.

BISHOP SEABURY (79)

Zach McDermott 10-20 2-2 25, Thomas Uhler 3-8 0-0 6, Bansi King 7-11 0-0 19, Austin Gaumer 1-4 0-0 3, Chris Green 2-4 3-4 7, Thomas diZerega 5-10 0-0 11, Max Easter 3-6 0-0 8, Thomas Silvestri 0-0 0-0 0, Austin Dominguez 0-0 0-0 0, Carter Claxton 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 31-63 5-6 79.

C-Grove 17 13 7 17 — 54

Seabury 18 20 18 24 — 79

Three-point goals: Council Grove 5-14 (Cunningham 3, Buchman 2); Seabury 12-27 (King 5, McDermott 3, Easter 2, Gaumer, diZerega). Turnovers: Council Grove 28, Seabury 16.